Terri Ryburn, the de facto savior of the historic Sprague’s Super Service gas station in Normal, Illinois, recently announced she is retiring from the station’s Ryburn Place shop and visitor’s center at the end of the year.
Ryburn stated on Facebook: “I have loved meeting so many interesting and fun people at Ryburn Place at Sprague’s Super Service in Normal but if I’m going to have a retirement, I’ve got to retire. It’s the only job I’ve ever had where everyone who comes through the door is happy.
“Come see me before December 31! (I’m here 9-5:30 Thursday-Sunday.)”
Ryburn said the city, which owns the property, will issue a request for proposals on what to do with the space.
The National Park Service explains her critical role in preserving the Route 66 landmark:
Terri Ryburn purchased the building in 2006 and listed it in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Through grants from the Town of Normal, the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, and the National Park Service’s Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, the station has now been restored. Ms. Ryburn worked with the Town of Normal to designate the station as a Local Landmark. The town subsequently purchased the station in 2016, and today it operates as a visitor center and gift shop under the name Ryburn Place.
Sprague Super Service was built in 1931 on Route 66 by William Sprague. It was unique in its design in doubling as a gas station and residence.
It originally sold Cities Service gas, but it became other businesses by the 1940s. The pumps were removed by 1979.
(Screen-capture image from News25 video of Terri Ryburn; image of Sprague Super Service station by Randy von Liski via Flickr)