Allen’s Fillin’ Station Paint Day
When Route 66’ers drive through Commerce, Oklahoma there are a few things they typically notice. The water tower is white-and-blue pinstripe with a Number 7 on it, in honor of famous former resident Mickey Mantle. The Dairy King, a small restaurant in an old Marathon filling station, is beloved for ice cream cones and long visits with Charles Duboise, who runs the place with his mother. He will tell you all about the local history of the area, including the fateful day that Bonnie & Clyde came to town.
Looking down Commerce Avenue towards the Dairy King
Across the street from the Dairy King is another little building…or, half building, rather. That’s why some people call it the Hole in the Wall. Allen’s Fillin’ Station is labeled as a Conoco but has been painted the bright green-and-red colors that Phillips Petroleum made famous back when US Highway 66 was new. Some say it was never a service station. Bobby has a copy of a 1931 lease of the property between the builder, F.D. Mitchell, and the Continental Oil Company. Some records indicate it did serve Phillips gasoline in the late 1930s. What is not in dispute, though, is that the strange little building at the corner of Commerce Avenue and Main Street has served many purposes over the years. It sat empty for quite a few of them.
Hole In The Wall - late 1990s
Bobby Allen and his wife Linda bought the property in the early 2000s and changed the paint from white to its current color scheme. It was Linda’s idea; she was inspired by the little service station at Red Oak II in Carthage, Missouri. It has been a gift shop under the Allen’s care and became a popular photo stop. In 2020, Linda sadly passed away; Bobby put the little station up for sale for a time. People kept stopping and taking photos of the old station, though, even though the paint was peeling and the raw brick was exposed in a few places.
The Oklahoma Route 66 Association stepped forward to repaint the building and energize the popular old station. Two summer volunteer dates were rained out, but the third time was the charm. The Association came together with brushes and rollers on October 16th, 2021. We couldn’t have done it without our volunteers! We had folks come in from out of state and even had help from some Route 66 travelers that were excited to learn about what we were doing.
Special thanks to Elijah Redden, Mayor of Commerce, for his invaluable help. Not only did he help secure some supplies from the Commerce Fire Department, but he didn’t mind climbing way up on the ladder to paint the trim! We also want to give a shout out to the Abandoned Atlas Foundation, who donated to help buy water and supplies for our volunteers. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this project a success.
