A new generation keeps stop open on the Mother Road
Barb Turner-Barnes’s final promise to her father Gary Turner, owner of Gary’s Gay Parita Sinclair Station – was to keep his beloved business open after his passing. Gary passed on Jan. 22, 2015, and for eight years, Barb and her husband George have honored Gary’s legacy by becoming the historical ambassadors, guides and caretakers of the iconic landmark property, keeping it open to visitors from around the world.
Located in Paris Springs, Mo., along one of the oldest stretches of Route 66, Gary’s Gay Parita Sinclair Station, is a veritable treasure trove of signage, vintage cars, trucks and old buildings, some restored and in original condition is located 25 miles west of Springfield, Mo. It is a must-see destination for Mother Road nostalgia buffs.
“My dad called me one day and said ‘Barbie, we’re going to build a gas station and the gas is going to cost 15 cents.’ I said, ‘Whatever, Dad.’ He sure proved many of us wrong. The station was the dream of his lifetime. He never met a stranger. We currently have groups that come through here from all over the world – Germany, France, China the Netherlands, you name it and they’ve been here.”
Like all historic properties, this one has a very long and rich backstory.
The original Gay’s Parita Sinclair Station owner, Fred Mason, got his start in the cattle business, like so many Southwest Missourians. He owned and operated the Parita Feed and Seed Company from 1890- 1920. By 1923, Fred constructed the Gay Parita Sinclair Station. He named the business after his wife Gay. In Spanish, Parita means equal. The couple ran the business as equals. The Gay Parita consisted of a service station, garage and three guest cabins that were rented out to weary travelers for $1 per night.
“By 1930, the Masons had made enough money to build the stone house behind the gas station,” George said. “That’s where they lived, where Barb’s uncle and aunt, Steve and Leah, lived, her parents, Gary and Lena lived, and Barb and I live today.”
The property has been in Barb’s family for 40 years.
Throughout the years, Gay’s Parita Sinclair Station became a favorite stop along Route 66. Fred and Gay ran the business until her death in 1953. That same year, fire tore through the station, burning it to the ground. Fred rebuilt his beloved business, running it for another two years until a second fire destroyed all he’d built. He later retired to the couple’s flagstone home on the hill. Fred passed away in 1960.
Fred Mason’s dream would have died with him, if not for a gunslinging visionary with a passion for old cars and memorabilia named Gary Turner.
“Gary basically saved this place,” George said. “He was smart enough to have the foresight and the vision to keep everything together.”
Gary Turner was born on Feb. 3, 1944, in Abesville, Mo. The former gunslinger/train robber at Knott’s Berry Farm Amusement Park in Buena Park., Calif., and long-haul truck driver, retired from Associated Grocers after 23 years. He and his wife Lena acquired the Gay Parita property in 2003. Gary and his brother Steve constructed the tribute recreation of Fred Mason’s original Sinclair station, opening for business in 2007.
Gary became a Route 66 ambassador and “friends for life” with many people from around the world.
Gary’s guest book has been signed by travelers from New Zealand, Russia, China, India, Lithuania, Denmark, Italy, France, the U.K., and many more.
“When Gary passed away in 2015, Lena did her best to keep the business going but sadly, she also passed just three months after Gary,” George recalled.
George and Barb arrived from Charleston, S.C., on April 1, 2016, taking over the helm of the business.
“It was like a bomb went off,” George recalled of taking over the new-to-him business.
Barb was busy unpacking 20 years of belongings in her parents home while George worked on the garage and Gary’s office. She had just lost both her parents, while people continued to visit the station; many not knowing that Gary and Lena had passed away.
“I was still grieving,” Barb remembered. “It was really overwhelming. Every year we continue the legacy of my parents. We keep everything going for mom and dad,”Barb said.
The property continues to be a work in progress, one of real historical significance.
No highway truly encapsulated the passionate American spirit of cross-country driving like Route 66. In 1938, it became the first fully paved highway in the country. After World War 2, thousands of Americans were heading west, Route 66 truly became the Mother Road. Fast food was born on this stretch of highway with the first drive-thru opening at Red’s Giant Hamburger in Springfield, Mo.
“My dream for this place is the same as it was when we opened the gates, come and enjoy. It’s for everyone. I promised dad that I would keep it alive and I have. All the people that come, they thank us, but we thank them. We couldn’t do it without our visitors. so it’s very important.”
