Retro — Relive the Route, a group that aims to improve historic preservation and tourism in the Edgewood and Moriarty area of New Mexico, is selling a limited-edition T-shirt that will help raise the funds to restore the signs at the only surviving gas station of the Whiting Bros. chain.
The group received a $3,700 cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to restore the signs at the gas station in Moriarty. The group is raising $1,500 of its part of the $3,700 through the sales of 150 of these specially made T-shirts. Here’s the design:
The shirts go for $20 apiece. The group is selling the shirts through this site through Aug. 31 or until the shirts sell out, which ever comes first. As of Monday night, 26 shirts sold. Once ordered, the T-shirts will be delivered about two weeks after the campaign.
More about the Whiting Bros. station:
As Route 66 was being by-passed by the new interstate highway system, Whiting Bros was forced to sell its once prosperous stations. Station #72 in Moriarty, NM, was bought by Sal and Inez Lucero in 1985. The station remains almost unchanged since Lucero, a lifetime Whiting employee, took over its operation. It has become an iconic anchor on Route 66 for travelers from all over the world and has been a vital part of this small community for over 60 years. The station received a matching grant earlier this year to restore its signs and the Luceros are very close to raising their portion of the funds. The community is working to raise the last few thousand dollars to thank the Luceros for their contribution to the local economy over the years.
Also, those who buy a shirt will be invited to the ceremony unveiling the restored signs so a group photograph can be taken.
(Photos courtesy of RETRO — Relive the Route)