Illinois Route 66 - Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS. Bill Shea stands by the old pumps of his gas station at the time of our first meeting in 2005. Bill was one of the first business owners I met on 66, after he spotted me wandering around all the stuff the station has accumulated since it opened in the 1940's. I took his famous $2 tour and was delighted to be treated to Bill Shea's version of old 66, as he showed me some of the antiques he had on display, recounted his own family history, described what the Springfield area was like when he first opened up for business after WWII, then posed for me in his Marathon Gas overalls out by the pumps. I have to say that Bill was as nice a fellow as I would meet on the old highway, even though he never came even close to a smile during our conversation, lengthy as it was. And that was just fine with me. Small businessmen have no time for such niceties.