A resident of Foyil, Oklahoma, is restoring a late 1920s filling station along an original alignment of Route 66 through the town.
Nathan Williams informed me his brother-in-law, Kean Isaacs, aims to restore the station to “its original condition or as close as possible.”
According to an email:
He hopes to turn it into an information center and Route 66 and Texaco merchandise center. He has already had the roof repaired and is finishing the paperwork to apply to have it put on the historic register by the feds. This will get him some matching grant funds that he hopes to use to finish the restoration. He also hopes to find some gravity gas pumps to put in front as decorations since he has no intention of actually selling gasoline.
Williams set up a Facebook page about the gas station’s history and the restoration work.
The station sits on Andy Payne Boulevard, formerly Chestnut Avenue, that was Route 66 from 1926 to 1963. The street is named after Foyil native Andy Payne, who won the 1928 Trans-American Footrace and likely ran past this very station during the 3,400-mile race, which took place on Route 66.
Foyil erected a statue of Payne a few years ago where old Route 66 and newer Route 66 meet on the west edge of town.
I always had hoped someone would do something with that station, which was a gem even in its deteriorated state. That old section of Route 66 through town — especially with its original, narrow concrete — is like a step back in time, and to have a tangible link to very early Route 66 and Payne would be a significant tourist draw.
Nice , I am trying to do the same. Unfortunately my gem is in a dying town of 58.