Afton Station Packard Museum

Afton Station Packard Museum, a privately owned automotive museum on U.S. Route 66 in Afton, Oklahoma,[4] was situated in a restored 1930s Eagle D-X filling station.[5] It housed a showroom, 18 Packards & other vintage automobiles plus a collection of Route 66 memorabilia, including items from the now-demolished Buffalo Ranch Trading Post.[6]

Afton Station
Afton Station Packard Museum
Afton Station Packard Museum is located in Oklahoma
Afton Station Packard Museum
Afton, Oklahoma
Established1999[1]
Location12 SE First Street, U.S. Route 66, Afton, Oklahoma[2]
Coordinates36.69437°N 94.96211°W / 36.69437; -94.96211
TypePackard automotive museum
Collection size18 Packard and other vintage automobiles
Visitors6000/yr (2012)[3]
OwnerLaurel and David Kane
Websitewww.aftonstationroute66.com

A restored set of historic D-X fuel pumps stood in the old station's forecourt and the red and white on blue "Approved Packard Service" dealership logo was proudly displayed atop a signpost.[1]

As a Route 66 information stop for travelers, who came from as far afield as Europe, Australia, and Asia,[7] the station/welcome center distributed maps, guidebooks and memorabilia as well as word-of-mouth information about The Mother Road.[8]

History

Afton, established 1886 and named for River Afton in Scotland by a railroad surveyor, was once home to a railroad repair facility, turntable and roundhouse. The locomotive repair facility closed in the 1930s, soon after the 1926 designation of U.S. Route 66 in the area. The Eagle D-X station opened in 1933 and has sold various brands of fuel under different owners over the years.[9] In its 1940s heyday, it was one of three stations in a four-block section of US 66. A 1981 photo shows the station as a tin-roof structure with three modern D-X fuel pumps in the forecourt.[10]

The town depended on Route 66 as its economic lifeblood until the construction of Interstate 44 in Oklahoma in 1957 sent the community into decline.[11] Various motels and cafés closed their doors forever;[12] the Buffalo Ranch Trading Post closed upon its owner Aleene Albro's demise in 1997 and was demolished in 2002.[13]

Laurel and David Kane purchased the former D-X station in 1999 to be restored and used to house an existing Packard memorabilia collection. The once-vibrant town, long bypassed by the Interstate highway system, had been reduced to 800 people and a handful of local stores.[14]

"I knew I wanted a property on Route 66 — that was one of the reasons for living here. We kept driving through Afton to get here and there. There were about three vintage stations still standing... We really liked (this one) because it was in (better) condition than the others, and it had room for the cars."

— Laurel Kane[6]

Afton Station was recognised as the "Route 66 Business of the Year"[12] at the 2009 International Route 66 Festival in Flagstaff, Arizona.[3]

Following the deaths of Laurel Kane in 2016, and that of David Kane in 2018, Afton Station's collection of Packards and other memorabilia were sold.[15] According to the station's website, the property is expected to be sold in a public auction scheduled for June 29, 2019.[16]

See also

References
  1. "Discover Oklahoma - Afton Station". YouTube. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  2. "Afton Station". TravelOK.com - Oklahoma's Official Travel & Tourism Site. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  3. "Afton recalls its Route 66 heyday" (PDF). Northeast Connection. Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative. December 2011. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  4. "Finding Washington Apples in Oklahoma". OhmyNews International. 2009-12-11. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  5. Michael Karl Witzel; Jim Hinckley; Kerrick James; Lee Klancher; Kathy Weiser; Andreas Feininger (2010-10-16). Greetings from Route 66: The Ultimate Road Trip Back Through Time Along America's Main Street. Voyageur Press. p. 81. ISBN 9780760338858. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  6. Emily Priddy. "Preservation of Afton DX Station". Oklahoma Route 66 association. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  7. Michael Wallis; Marian Clark (2004-10-01). Hogs On 66: Best Feed and Hangouts for Roadtrips on Route 66. p. 77. ISBN 9781571781406. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  8. Elaine Warner. "Oklahoma tourism tour highlights state's great places to visit". The Edmond Sun. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  9. Jon Sonderman; Jim Ross (2011-12-05). Route 66 in Oklahoma. p. 19. ISBN 9780738590516. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  10. Quinta Scott (2001-12-01). Along Route 66. p. 112. ISBN 9780806133836. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  11. Russell A. Olsen (2006-07-01). Route 66 Lost & Found: Ruins and Relics Revisited. p. 56. ISBN 9780760326237. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  12. Jim Hinckley (2011-06-13). Ghost Towns of Route 66. p. 61. ISBN 9780760338438. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  13. Russell A. Olsen (2008-09-24). The Complete Route 66 Lost & Found. p. 70. ISBN 9780760334928. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  14. Guy Randall. "Afton, Oklahoma and Afton Station". The Road Wanderer. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  15. "Majority of Packard collection at Afton Station sold, hauled away". Route 66 News.
  16. "Afton Station - Public Auction". Afton Station Route 66 Museum.
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