Springfield plans to reopen Bill Shea’s Gas Station Museum

The City of Springfield, Illinois, recently accepted a $623,000 state grant to reopen Bill Shea's Gas Station Museum along Route 66. According to the Springfield State Journal-Register, Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau director Scott Dahl wants to make the closed station on Peoria Road (aka Route 66) an "Instagram-able stop," especially for international travelers. Dahl elaborated on … Continue reading Springfield plans to reopen Bill Shea’s Gas Station Museum

Route 66 Experience at Illinois State Fair gets $500,000 grant; Old Joliet prison gets $250,000

The Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield will receive a $500,000 grant to help add to the exhibit, according to a news release from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The Old Joliet Prison in Joliet also will receive $250,000 from the same program for exterior illumination of the … Continue reading Route 66 Experience at Illinois State Fair gets $500,000 grant; Old Joliet prison gets $250,000

Site of Shea’s Route 66 Gas Station Museum back up for sale

The site of the Shea's Route 66 Gas Station Museum in Springfield, Illinois, is back up for sale, but the owner still is considering acquiring a business partner to help keep its Route 66 look. Tim Landis, business editor of the Springfield State Journal-Register, reported on the change in his weekly column: Owner Randy Pickett … Continue reading Site of Shea’s Route 66 Gas Station Museum back up for sale

Shea’s Route 66 Museum returning as Route 66-themed auto-repair shop

Shea's Route 66 Museum in Springfield, Illinois, which closed and its contents auctioned after the death of its longtime owner in 2013, will reopen this summer as a Route 66-themed auto-repair business. Local classic-car aficionados Randy Pickett and Jake Niewold plan to convert the vacant building to an auto-repair and maintenance shop with a Route 66 … Continue reading Shea’s Route 66 Museum returning as Route 66-themed auto-repair shop

Governor signs Illinois Route 66 motorcycle plate bill

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill Saturday that allows motorcyclists to buy a special Illinois Route 66 license plate that benefits the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway fund. Rauner signed the bill at the historic Mahan service station at Fulgenzi's Pizza and Pasta on Route 66 in Springfield, Illinois. Fulgenzi's purchased and moved the … Continue reading Governor signs Illinois Route 66 motorcycle plate bill

Local businessman buys Shea’s Mahan gas station

The historic Mahan gas station that Bill Shea restored at his Shea's Route 66 Museum in Springfield, Illinois, before his death was bought at auction by a local business owner and will be moved in the next month to his property -- also on Route 66. Jeff Fulgenzi of Fulgenzi's Pizza & Pasta at 1168 Sangamon Ave. in … Continue reading Local businessman buys Shea’s Mahan gas station

Online auction for Shea’s Museum items begins today

More than 200 items from the closed Shea's Route 66 Museum in Springfield, Illinois, are going up for auction online today. If you can't bid right away, no worries -- the auction continues through Nov. 22. The link to the auction site by Darrell L. Adcock Auction Service is here. I surfed over the the … Continue reading Online auction for Shea’s Museum items begins today

Shea’s Gas Station Museum soon will be auctioned

Everything at Shea's Gas Station Museum in Springfield, Illinois -- including the land on which it sits -- soon will be auctioned almost two years after the patriarch's death at age 91. A bunch of outdoor equipment at the site is slated to be auctioned by Darrell L. Adcock Auction Service starting at 10 a.m. Oct. 10. Bill Shea … Continue reading Shea’s Gas Station Museum soon will be auctioned

Widow of Bill Shea dies

Helen Shea, the widow of Shea's Route 66 Museum owner Bill Shea Sr., died Monday at a hospice in Springfield, Illinois, according to an obituary from Butler Funeral Homes. She was 96. A Springfield native, she worked at Sangamo Electric and helped run Shea's gas-station museum in Springfield. Bill Shea converted a Marathon station on Route 66 into a museum … Continue reading Widow of Bill Shea dies

Bill Shea’s Route 66 Museum put up for sale

Bill Shea's Route 66 Museum in Springfield, Illinois, has been put on the market after the property cleared probate following the longtime owner's death in December, reported the Springfield State Journal-Register. The newspaper noted the museum's Facebook page had this message a few days ago: Post by Shea's Route 66 Museum. According to the newspaper: … Continue reading Bill Shea’s Route 66 Museum put up for sale