Devil's Rope Barbwire Museum

05/30/2026

05/28/2026

We certainly enjoyed meeting JB and TCR's crew at their recent stop at the DRM! Excellent Polaroid of our world famous little 66 station. You can find lots of other pictures in the museum and in our gift shop. (Y)

This little gas station in McLean, Texas has been standing since 1928. According to Phillips company it was the first Phillips 66 station approved to be built in Texas.

I took the photo on a Polaroid, albeit a modern one. Edwin Land filed the patent that would eventually lead to instant photography the year after this station opened.

The first Polaroid went on sale in 1948 for $89.75, which sounds cheap, but it was the equivalent of about $1,200 in today's dollars. By then the McLean Phillips 66 station had been pumping gas for 20 years.

This cute little Tudor-styled station pumped gas for weary travelers for nearly 50 years before closing in 1977. A local group restored it in 1992 in hopes of drawing tourists off of the interstate that bypassed McLean. It certainly drew me.

Life before 70 MPH speed limits was just a little slower it seems. A gas station stop was a reprieve from a long bumpy road. An "instant" photo still took 60 seconds to reveal itself.

Great stories take time to develop. Thankfully for us at TCR, there are plenty all over Texas to capture.

05/27/2026

Wondering about this just this morning for possible mural inspiration and so I asked our good friend and Jericho neighbor, Blanca Schaffer, if she had any good pre Interstate maps of Old 66 and lo and behold if I didn't have one already in my stash of vintage gas station / glove box road maps. A nice 1940 (when 66 was only 14 years old! ) Conoco Road Map with all the info, mileage, small towns and subtle colors you could ask for. Enjoy! - posted by GRO

05/26/2026

We had a film crew in from a college in New York in this morning. They are traveling 66 doing bits about small time businesses that have family involvement in their operation. It is really wonderful to see young people so involved with history. We had a great time and I hope they got something to use. Will post more on this later.

05/26/2026

Great news! We will be starting on the new paint and mural soon. Stay posted!

The Old Route 66 Association of Texas is proud to announce the inaugural class of recipients for the Texas Route 66 Small Business Outdoor Beautification Matching Grant Program! 🎉

Five outstanding businesses along Historic Texas Route 66 have officially been awarded $500 Matching Grant Awards to support exterior improvements, beautification projects, signage, restoration efforts, and visitor experience enhancements along the Mother Road.

2026 Inaugural Grant Recipients:

📍 Cactus Inn Motel – McLean
Outdoor Gathering Area for Travelers

📍 MidPoint Cafe & Gift Shop – Adrian
New Exterior Wall Signage

📍 Moonshine Motorsports Museum – Shamrock
Outdoor Signage & Lighting

📍 Old Tascosa Brewery – Amarillo
Facade Sign Restoration

📍 Devils Rope & TX Route 66 Museum – McLean
Exterior South Wall Painting & Mural Project

The Association is extremely proud of the excitement, support, and attention this new initiative has already received across the Texas Route 66 community.

Most importantly — this is only the beginning.

We are already planning future grant initiatives and additional opportunities to continue investing in the businesses, destinations, and communities that help preserve and promote Historic Route 66 in Texas.

Thank you to everyone who applied, supported the program, and continues helping keep the spirit of Route 66 alive in Texas.

Learn more about the program here:
https://www.rt66oftexas.com/beautificationgrant

05/25/2026

We need your help in verifying the accuracy and current status of this huuuuuugggee ball of barbed wire! It will be on our bucket list of things to look up on a future road trip.
This is from a 1997 issue of Farm Show magazine: "A huge ball of barbed wire put together by a Texas rancher over the years, J.C.Payne and his wife Elsie Ruth of Valley View, Texas. Payne’s ball of barbed wire measured 11 ft., 6 in. in dia. and stood two stories high. It’s made up of some 70 miles of wire and Payne estimates it weighs around 12 tons. "
Valley View is about 20 miles north of Denton, Texas on I-35. Evidently, J.C. Payne passed away in November of 2004 followed by Elsie Ruth in 2019. Anyone who knows more about the current status of the world's largest ball of barbed wire please let us know.

05/25/2026

Just a reminder. The museum will be open on Memorial Day. Come see us!

05/23/2026

Route 66 100th anniversary celebration in McLean today and tomorrow. Blue Oaks Trading company now open. The Museum will be open Monday.

05/22/2026

Here at the DRM we have an unofficial new slogan "From Underwire to Barbwire" to honor the history and hobby of barbed wire collecting and in recognition of our building's history as the home of the "Form-O-Uth" bra factory - Marie Foundations. -
Mary Phelps Jacob, a New York socialite, was only 19 when she stitched together two silk handkerchiefs with pink ribbon to wear with a ball gown when her whale b***d corset just would not do. The girls at the ball begged her to make them one too and when a stranger offered her a dollar for one a few weeks later she was convinced to file for patent no.1,115,674 for her invention of the modern brassiere November 3rd, 1914.
JF Glidden of Dekalb, Illinois was 61 years old when he perfected this design for his wire having famously tested making the twists using a modified coffee grinder. His universally recognized design is easily the most successful barbed wire design ever, patent no. 157,124 of November 24th, 1874.
post by GRO

05/21/2026

We have some more new 3D printed critters in the gift shop. All made by a local 2nd grader. And we will be open on Memorial day.