Afton Station Packard Museum, a privately owned automotive museum on U.S. Route 66 in

Afton, Oklahoma Afton is a town in northeast Oklahoma in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,049 as of the 2010 census, with population growth stemming from the near abandonment of nearby towns of Cardin and Picher because of ground c ...

, was situated in a restored 1930s Eagle D-X

filling station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Ga ...

. 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 Buffalo most commonly refers to: * Bubalina, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York Buffalo or buffaloes may also refer to: Animals * Bubalina, a subtribe of the tr ...

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

History

Afton, established 1886 and named for

River Afton The River Afton (or Afton Water) is a small river in Ayrshire, Scotland, which flows north from Alwhat Hill in the Carsphairn and Scaur Hills, through Afton Reservoir and then for eight miles down Glen Afton before joining the River Nith at Ne ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

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. 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. The town depended on Route 66 as its economic lifeblood until the construction of

Interstate 44 in Oklahoma Interstate 44 (I-44) runs diagonally through the US state of Oklahoma, spanning from the Texas state line near Wichita Falls, Texas, to the Missouri border near Joplin, Missouri. It connects three of Oklahoma's largest cities: Oklahoma City ...

in 1957 sent the community into decline. Various motels and cafés closed their doors forever; the Buffalo Ranch Trading Post closed upon its owner Aleene Albro's demise in 1997 and was demolished in 2002. 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 The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

system, had been reduced to 800 people and a handful of local stores. Afton Station was recognised as the "Route 66 Business of the Year" at the 2009

International Route 66 Festival International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has an estimated population ...

. 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. According to the station's website, the property is expected to be sold in a public auction scheduled for June 29, 2019.

References

External links

official website
{{Authority control Buildings and structures on U.S. Route 66 Museums in Ottawa County, Oklahoma U.S. Route 66 in Oklahoma Automobile museums in Oklahoma 1999 establishments in Oklahoma Packard

History

See also

References

External links