My stop at the oldest Gas Station on rt 66!

While going to Mt Olive to pick up some free Cragars (a case of beer) around the corner from my destination was this station. It was unlocked and empty, so I had my own tour of the place! It was also a TV repair shop in the 50s, thats why the old signs, and TV magnifiying glass!

 

I've been there too! I think I have a pic of my old '65 Catalina Convert in front of it!

Gotta love Route 66!!

Mike

 

here's more!!!!!!!!!

 

more!!!!!!!!!

 

And a stop in Atlanta Ill!

 

You know times are tough when the muffler man has to get a job holdin hot dogs...
Neat pics though..

 

cool!

 

Always wanted to make a trip on 66-Maybe one day I will make the time to do it. Lot's to see for sure.

 

Taking a tour around by yourself would be considered trespassing in some parts...,

 

Purty neat.

 

That was my first thought, too. Just because the door is unlocked, shouldn't mean that you can just walk in...

 

treaspassing aside, neat pics. it must have been a fun trip.

 

To be in a place with such history would've almost been too much to handle. ...what'd ya take? Tell the truth...Now go put it back.

 

wow the door was unlocked? if that was in my neck of the woods, the only thing that would be left in there was dust!.. nice to see theres still some trusting people out there

 

I took NOTHING!!!! I felt it would be like stealing from the pharaohs! I think it's unlocked because (A) it's a small town, and (B) people come from around the world there! I signed the book, and the ones above me came from France! I also put money in the jar to keep it going! So there! I love rt 66! I think I'm going to join the group to keep it alive!

 

It would be like grave robbing! All I took were the pics you all see! I could. See some real bad karma from that! And stealing is not my style!

 

I was just happy to be there! It made my trip! That, and the Cragars!

 

I know that old place . I live just south of there down I55 in New Douglas. .. Did you stop in Staunton at the RT 66 Rabbit Ranch? Rich is a great guy. He is the owner.

 

Exactly!!!!!!!!!! It would be cleaned out up by me too! It was just too neat! I didn't even look to see how much money was left there! I just tossed mine in!

 

I get a kick out of all the comments regarding stealing from the place. It is obviously not an old abandoned gas station that has been left un attended and un locked.

It is quite obvious that someone has gone to a great deal of effort to preserve the old place.

I can assure you that if any lowlife mouth breathing scum bag decided to rip the place off that they would likely die a quick death from fast acting lead poisoning.

The place is looked after, you can be assured of that.

Really people come on

 

I just watched a of "Modern Marvels" episode on RT 66. Very interesting if you get a chance to see it.

 

I did the route a few months ago, loved checking out the old buildings

 

It's like going to the incredable ghost town of Bodie, CA. You touch and take nothing.

 

Thank you! I respect the past! We had a few stations just like that in my town as a very young kid! One of em was just like that one that I wish was still there! I remember being like 7 or 8 sitting in the model a convert tow truck thinking " one day I'm gonna buy this and fix it up !" also inside. Of that station I'm talking about were a couple old 40's cars covered in dust that I wish I could have gotten! That place was like time stopped! This station was redone by the 66 people in '95' I was in heaven! The only thing I wish I had was my real camera!

Also Mt Olive is the boyhood home of my oldest and best friends Dad! A WW2 vet that was a Navigator on a B25 over Europe during the war! This was a place he hung out at as a kid! He is now 94 and I have the utmost respect for also! I would never shame him either! That's it! I'm done explaining myself for doing the right thing on a trip I always wanted to do! Next time I'm coming back with one of my cars or bike to take more pics, and give them more money so it don't go away!

 

Cool old station.

 

Stumbled on a show a couple of months ago about the Lincoln Highway. That goes all the way from NYC to San Francisco. It caught my eye because I recognized the area of I80 my friends and I had just driven from SLC to Wendover for Speedweek. Can't remember if it was on PBS or Discovery, but that was a very neat show. 66 gets all of the attention, but the history of the Lincoln is really incredible and would also be a great drive.

 

vERY COOL

 

That goes by me too! I saw that show also on PBS! That would be a cool trip too!

 

Yep ... no one ever wrote a song about Route 30 ... and the old dragstrip commercials in the Chicago area don't count.

 

think about all the stoys them wall,s could tell you and cars them pumps serviced over the years, most bitchin Rt 66 is on my buckit list