Fill ‘Er Up: Nebraska’s Must-See Historic Gas Station
It’s not often a gas station appears on anyone’s bucket list. Kensinger Service & Supply in Grand Island, NE, isn’t just any gas station. It’s a monument to the early days of American automobile travel: Kensinger’s was built in 1936 along the legendary Lincoln Highway, the country’s first coast-to-coast road.
“Lincoln Highway fans want to stop here,” says Scott Grudzinski, whose family has operated the station for four generations. “Antique and classic car owners come here and want their pictures taken.”
Kensinger’s is a gritty one-story structure with three gas pumps that were new half a century ago. The station originated as a rare truck stop, with bunk beds in the basement and a soup kitchen in the back room. (Trucks didn’t have sleeper cabs in those days.) A small trailer court and wash house were added in the 1940s.

Step inside, where a wall of dusty shelves is stocked with transmission fluid, fuel additives and a few replacement parts. A well-cuddled cat bed sits atop a battered metal cabinet. You’re welcome to pour yourself a cup of coffee and sit a spell on one of the mismatched chairs. A bag of chips costs 75 cents.
“Things haven’t changed much over the years,” says Scott.

Scott’s grandfather, Richard Kensinger, was hired at the station soon after it opened, and he bought it in 1964. Today Scott and his son Joe pump gas and wash windshields. They make minor repairs like oil and tire changes. Sometimes the regulars help themselves. While I was visiting, one customer pumped his own gas and signed a handwritten receipt. He would settle up later. The station nods to modern-day commerce by accepting credit cards, but it also takes personal checks.
Back in the heydey, Kensinger’s was bustling. Not so much anymore. U.S. Route 30 absorbed the Nebraska stretch of the Lincoln Highway and then was rerouted. The fast-moving Interstate 80 came through town and took away the interstate travel. Most of the Kensinger clientele now is local truck trade and nostalgia-seekers.
But the Lincoln Highway is not completely forgotten. Adjacent to the station is a marker: A concrete post with a medallion featuring with profile of President Abraham Lincoln, in whose honor the highway was named. The markers are a frequent sight along the historic roadway.

Behind the station is another cultural gem: The remnants of an original Seedling Mile, completed in 1915. Roadways back then were mostly earthen or gravel, and they were difficult to traverse when muddy. Seedling miles were demonstration projects sponsored by the Lincoln Highway Association, a group of industry professionals and enthusiasts, to garner enthusiasm and funding for paved roads. They would be the “seeds” from which cement-paved roads would extend across the nation.

The Grand Island seedling mile was the first of Nebraska’s such projects and the second one built in the country. In 2013, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is said to be the only remaining seedling mile left in the U.S. not replaced, widened or paved over.
Kensinger Service & Supply
1810 E. U.S. Highway 30
Grand Island, NE 68803
(If you’d like to read more about historic gas stations, link to this story about the Mahan Filling Station on Route 66 in Illinois by my travel-writer friend Cindy Ladage AKA Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl.)
Thank you to Visit Grand Island, who hosted my media visit!
I travel for old gas stations 🙂 Fascinating history – I’d never heard of a Seedling Mile either – will have to look into that some more!
I didn’t know about Seedling Miles, either! Thanks for reading.
A fascinating story that is a familiar pattern of businesses that were affected by the inroads of the American highways. I am glad that they are continuing the great tradition. Didn’t know about seedling miles!
I didn’t know about Seedling Miles, either. I’m also glad I didn’t have to travel West in a covered wagon on a dirt road. Thanks for reading, Carol!
I am definitely adding this place to my Nebraska bucket list. Thank you for finding a piece of history that should not be forgotten!
I can’t remember the last time a service station attendant pumped gas for me! Thanks for reading.
Love this bit of Americana in Nebraska. I expect to be road tripping the great USA west later this year and will have this on my mind.
What was interesting to me is that the eastern half of Nebraska considers itself to be in the Midwest, while the western half considers itself to be part of the Old West. You can feel the difference. Thanks for reading.
Love this kind of place; history is too interesting to overlook. I loved the seedling mile!
Thanks for reading!
I am actually very familiar with the Lincoln Highway and have written about it for two magazines, so I was especially interested in this Nebraska gas station. It sounds like time-travel to visit there. Great post; very interesting!!
I’m honored that a Lincoln Highway expert like you would read my post and comment. Thank you!