Shea's Gas Station Museum Center piece The Mahan Filling Station located on Route 66 in Springfield, Illinois was transformed from a working Texaco, and later Marathon, station into a museum by owner Bill Shea and his wife Helen. The museum contained an eclectic mix of vintage gas station memorabilia collected over the last fifty years including the original gas pumps, wooden phone booths, signs, photos, and other mementos reminiscent of old Route 66 service stations.[1] In February 2000, the former Mahan's Station, rumored to be the oldest filling station in Illinois, was moved 21 miles to its current location at Fulgenzi's. It has since been fully restored.[2] The museum's guestbook boasts visitors from all over Europe and Asia and has become a destination for international travelers exploring the Mother Road.[3] Due to his commitment to preserving Route 66 history and gas station memorabilia, plus his many years of quality service to his customers, Bill Shea and his shop were inducted into the Route 66 Hall of Fame in 1993. The entire Shea family was inducted in 2002.[4] Bill Shea died in December 2013[5] and the gas station was sold.[6] The museum contents were auctioned in 2015.[7] As of 2015, the old Filling Station building was in use as the Fulgenzi's Pizza & Pasta.[8][9]
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| Location | 1168 Sangamon Avenue Springfield, Illinois United States |
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| Public transit access | SMTD |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Get Your Kicks on Route 66". Springfield Illinois Convention & Visitors Bureau. Archived from the original on 12 March 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
- ^ Steil, Tim and Jim Luning, Fantastic Filling Stations (2002) pp.47-55
- ^ Johnson, Carl. "An Inconspicuous Jar of Sand Has Important Meaning to Bill Shea". The Route 66 Pulse. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
- ^ "Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame Members". Route 66 Association of Illinois. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
- ^ "Friends, Family Tell Story Of Route 66 Museum Founder Bill Shea". WICS. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ^ "Shea's Gas Station Museum in Springfield, IL is the Latest Illinois Route 66 Iconic Attraction to Go on Sale". Illinois Route 66. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
- ^ "Shea's Gas Station Museum". Route 66 Association of Illinois.
- ^ "Iconic Shea's Route 66 Museum collection to be auctioned". State Journal-Register. October 2, 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
- ^ "Springfield, Illinois: Shea's Gas Station Museum (Closed)". Roadside America. Retrieved 10 December 2015.