{"nrhp_refnum":"04000420","name":"Soulsby Service Station","other_names":["Soulsby Shell Station"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"102 Sout Route 66 St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mount Olive","county":"Macoupin County","state":"IL","lat":39.073220562000074,"lon":-89.73558922099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-05-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story wood-frame house-and-canopy gas station at 102 South Route 66 Street in Mount Olive, Macoupin County, Illinois, built in 1926 to Henry Soulsby's own design and enlarged in 1937.","why_significant":"It is locally significant under Criterion A for serving local and traveling customers along Route 66 with gasoline, oil and repairs, and under Criterion C as an excellent example of the house-and-canopy station type. It meets the registration requirements for gas stations in the Route 66 through Illinois multiple property documentation, and its integrity is described as excellent.","narrative":"Built in 1926 by former coal miner Henry Soulsby, this small gas station in Mount Olive, Illinois, served drivers on Route 66 for decades. Soulsby designed it himself using common materials, with his teenage son Russell helping. The building has a hipped roof, wood siding and a front canopy over the pumps, a layout known as the house-and-canopy type that echoed residential architecture. In 1937 the family doubled its size with a rear extension. Russell and his sister Ola later ran it, and Russell also repaired radios and televisions there after World War II. Interstate 55 drew traffic away in the late 1950s; gas sales stopped in 1991 and the station closed in 1993. A volunteer restoration starting in 2003 removed later vinyl siding, revealing original pine siding, windows and most doors. The station is listed for its role in Route 66 commerce and transportation and for its well-preserved design, with a significance period of 1926 to 1956.","period_of_significance":"1926-1956","architect_builder":"Soulsby, Henry","architectural_style":"OTHER/House and Canopy Gas station","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Restored beginning in April 2003 with volunteers; the owner hoped to operate it as a museum by June 2004. Gas sales ended in 1991 and the station closed in 1993.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.529739-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/43/8913/28891343/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/04000420.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000420/18de08f9d9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000420/18de08f9d9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Marcin Wichary from San Francisco, U.S.A.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SoulsbyServiceStation_wideview.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcin Wichary from San Francisco, U.S.A.</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SoulsbyServiceStation_wideview.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891343","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soulsby_Service_Station","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7564541"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/macoupin-county/soulsby-service-station-04000420/"}