56. The George Preston Filling Station and Motel

the Lincoln Highway (1913 edition)

Belle Plaine, Iowa

‘The sides of the station are covered with old advertising and road signs, several from the Lincoln Highway era. "Preston began collecting those artifacts when he started working in the station at the age of thirteen. On the east side of the station is a garage which houses a treasure trove of antiques, including a 1925 Model T which Preston bought for $100 for his son. The elder Preston was flown to Los Angeles on March 21, 1990, where he broke up Johnny Carson on the 'Tonight Show'. His death at 83 warranted headlines in the August 15, 1993, issue of The Des Moines Register." - Greg Franzwa, The Lincoln Highway: Iowa, 1995

“Unfortunately, the Association must report that Blanche Preston, wife of George, recently passed away. While George was more talkative, flamboyant and well known, Blanche was always part of the action at the station and small motel that they operated. She could and did perform all duties from pumping gas to cleaning rooms – and she did a wonderful job or raising their two boys, Ron and Monte. Of course, the question always arises, what will happen to the station now. Ron Preston has been to all of our National Conferences and many of the Iowa meetings. I believe he has a good sense of the importance of the Lincoln Highway in our history and I know he knows how much the station means to the history of the Highway. It appears that this perspective will be guiding future decisions regarding the station. Well preserved and with continued presentation to the public, it would make a great memorial to Blanche and George."

(Bob Ausberger, Along the Lincoln Highway, The Newsletter of the ILHA, July/August 1998)

"The two-car caravan of the Louis Round family passed through Belle Plaine on June 23, 1914, heading back to Cleveland. He reported to The Motorist magazine, that 'The roads so far are beyond my expectation - they are as a general thing well marked.'

Thornton Round remembered Belle Plaine. 'This town claimed a great distinction. It had a paved street!'

The March 16, 1915, issue of the Belle Plaine newspaper reported that vast traffic was expected on the Lincoln Highway this year, with many expected to drive to the Panama- Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. The great fair would celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal."

-[ Gregory Franzwa, The Lincoln Highway: Iowa, The Patrice Press, 1995.]