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Threatt Filling Station: Luther, OK

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Hey, Friend! Welcome back to another post. Today, I want to show you the outside of the Threatt Filling Station in Luther, Oklahoma. Let’s get started!

History

When I was going to college at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, I would drive by this building on my to and from Stillwater. I remember being curious and wondering what its history was. Then one day, I saw it come across social media or the news by chance and was super excited to learn it was being restored. 

This building is the Threatt Filling Station. 

It is Route 66’s only known African American owned and operated filling station during the Jim Crow Era. The Threatt Filling Station was not listed in “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” but it was well-known to travelers. 

In addition to the filling station, it had a cafe and people could park their cars behind the building and sleep for the night. They also hosted baseball games and dances for the community. 

The Threatt Filling Station was founded by Allen Threatt, Sr. In 1915. The original building was lost to a fire and the current building was built in 1933. The Threatt family has owned the filling station for several decades and today they are ensuring it is preserved for many more generations. 

The Threatt Filling Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and was listed on the 2021 National Trust for Historic Places (HTHP) List of America’s Eleven Most Endangered Places.

In 2018 and 2021, they received grants from the NPS Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to help with preservation efforts of the historic Threatt Filling Station.

In July 2023, the National Trust’s HOPE Crew and students from the Guthrie Job Corps spent time repainting the building and restoring the “giraffe stone” masonry. 

They hope to open an interpretive center inside the Threatt Filling Station in time for the Route 66 Centennial in 2026! I can’t wait to see it once it opens 🙂

Photos

Exterior view of the Threatt Filling Station in Luther, Oklahoma, featuring vintage gas pumps, a stone facade, and a cloudy sky.
Exterior view of the Threatt Filling Station in Luther, Oklahoma, showcasing its distinctive stone facade and historical character. The building features a neatly pitched roof and large windows, with a vintage gas pump visible in front.
A sign for the Threatt Filling Station along Route 66, featuring the Route 66 shield and a 100-year anniversary emblem against a cloudy sky.
A woman wearing an orange hat and a white lace top stands in front of a historic Route 66 sign for the Threatt Filling Station in Luther, Oklahoma. The background features a cloudy sky and a building.
A vintage Conoco gasoline pump in front of the Threatt Filling Station, showcasing the building's unique architecture and green landscape under a partly cloudy sky.
A vintage Conoco gas pump standing beside a road in Oklahoma, featuring a green logo at the top and a hose for refueling.
A vintage Conoco gas pump featuring a glass display, showing 'Premium' and 'Demand Gasoline' labels, situated beside a road under a clear blue sky.
A vintage Conoco gas pump in front of the Threatt Filling Station in Luther, Oklahoma, with a cloudy sky in the background.
A vintage Conoco gas pump with a rounded red top and signage displaying the Conoco logo, positioned beside a rural road under a partly cloudy sky.

Visit

21940 OK-66,

Luther, OK 73054

TRAVEL TIP: The Threatt Filling Station sits at the corner of Route 66 and North Pottawatomi Road.

A person in a white blouse and orange hat standing in front of a colorful sign that reads 'Visit Luther Oklahoma' with an arrow pointing towards 'The Orchard on 66.' The background features blue skies and green trees.

TRAVEL TIP: This historic filling station sits alongside Route 66 in Luther, Oklahoma. There’s another fun neon looking sign a few miles further west on Route 66 near Luther Road.

Sources

Threatt Filling Station Foundation – website.

Jasmine M. Ellis. “Threatt Filling Station: ‘Grandpa Would Be Proud… Because We Didn’t Give Up.” September 19, 2023. National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“Oklahoma: Threatt Filling Station.”National Park Service.

“Threatt Filling Station.” Travel OK.

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