BAXTER SPRINGS, KAN. - An old gas station gets restored to it's former glory and gains new purpose in Baxter Springs, Kansas.

The historic Independent Oil Phillips 66 gas station has been a Route 66 landmark since 1930.  It converted to office use in the 1970's.

But the Baxter Springs Historical Society saw its historical value and bought the station to turn it into a welcome center.

Local officials say the response is already favorable.

"You can't believe how many people come here and say 'I used to work here' and 'I used to pump gas here,'" says Dean Auman of the Baxter Museum Board.  "It is really unbelievable."

"We get a tremendous amount of foreign visitors who have never stopped before," says Gas Station Director Carolyn Pendleton.  "That  tickles us to death."

The Welcome Center is located at 940 Military Ave. on the historic Route 66 in Baxter Springs.