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Soulsby Service Station

Retro roadside
In Mount Olive, Illinois
On Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

The Soulsby Service Station stands on historic Route 66 in Mount Olive, IL. Dating from 1926, the year the highway was created, it is counted as the oldest service station on the Illinois stretch of Route 66 that can still be used. Its small house-and-canopy design, a cottage-like office with a roof reaching out over the pumps, makes it a simple, satisfying photo stop.

What is Soulsby Service Station?

This is a filling station built in the house-and-canopy style, one of the standard gas station designs of its era: a small building shaped like a house, with a canopy stretching out from it to shelter the pumps and the cars pulled up beside them. The homey shape was meant to look familiar and welcoming to drivers.

The station sits right on the old highway, which makes it an easy pull-over on the drive between Litchfield and the Missouri line.

History of Soulsby Service Station

The station dates from 1926, the same year Route 66 was established, so it has seen the highway's whole story, from its early traffic to the rise of the interstates that took the through traffic away. It is listed on the National Register and is recognized as the oldest service station on Illinois's Route 66 still fit for use.

Visiting Soulsby Service Station: tips

Plan on 10 to 15 minutes for photos. Step back far enough to fit the canopy and the office in one frame; the small scale of the building is part of its charm. Treat the station and its grounds with care, since preserved sites like this survive thanks to the people who look after them.

For gas, a modern station is about 0.1 mile away, and a diner is about 0.9 mile off. The U.S. Route 66 site on the list is about 5 miles away, the Manske-Niemann Farm about 5.4 miles and the Belvidere Café, Motel, and Gas Station about 7.7 miles.