Shell

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At the Shell station in downtown Springfield, every morning around dawn, a regular would pull up with an empty coffee cup and a smile. One day, he returned with something unexpected—a small wooden box wrapped in brown paper, which no one dared ask him about. Finally, one curious clerk couldn’t resist asking what was inside. The old man grinned, pulled out a fresh doughnut from the box, and said, ‘Just thought I’d treat y’all today.’ Everyone laughed, shook their heads, and went back to filling up their tanks—knowing that sometimes kindness comes in unexpected packages.

2. At the Shell station on Route 66, late one night, an employee heard something strange coming from the storage shed. Every time he looked inside, it was empty—until one morning when he found a pile of old newspapers and a note reading: 'Fill up my tank whenever you see me.' Finally, the manager decided to follow the sound. When he peeked inside, there sat a friendly old man in a wheelchair, smiling and waving. ‘Just filling up,’ said the regular. The next day, everyone brought their cars over early, not for gas but to chat with the new customer.’

3. At the Shell station near sunset, a delivery driver always noticed the same old man sitting in his car, staring at the gas pump as if it held secrets. One day, curious about the old man's secret, the delivery driver asked him what he saw. The man replied, ‘I’m waiting for my car to tell me the price of gas today.’ They both laughed until a neighbor walked over and said, ‘He does that every time. Just ignore him—he’s never owned a car!’

4. At the Shell station by the river, every afternoon just after closing, someone would leave behind a tiny silver whistle. No one knew who or why until one day, a curious clerk blew it and the entire town gathered for an impromptu picnic. Soon enough, everyone in town started leaving their own little whistles—an old key, a rusty coin, even a broken watch. One particularly forgetful delivery driver left his horn, and when he honked it accidentally while filling up, the whole place erupted into chaos. The town ended up having not just one, but daily impromptu picnics, complete with music and dancing around the gas pumps.