Magnolia Mobil Gas Station, part of Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
The Magnolia Mobil Gas Station is part of Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. It is located across the street from the Visitor Center at the corner of Little Rock Nine Way and Daisy L. Gaston Bates Drive. It was the first visitor center for the park, but it is now used as office space by the National Park Service and is no longer open the public. However, visitors are welcome to walk the grounds and take photos.
During what would become known as the Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957, the owner of the Magnolia Mobil Gas Station allowed reporters to use the facility while covering the events at Central High School, provided they buy something. The station was just down the street from the school and one of the few businesses with a pay telephone on site, which allowed the press to call in reports to their local newsrooms.
The gas station was built in 1928 (one year after the school opened) for the Magnolia Petroleum Company of Texas, a regional oil company owned by Magnolia Oil Corporation. Over the years, the parent company underwent numerous mergers and acquisitions, and in 1955, its name changed to Socony Mobil Oil Company. In the late 1950s, the station featured both Mobil and Magnolia signs.
Magnolia Mobil closed in the 1980s. A local wholesale florist purchased the building and used it for storage until 1996. The property was then purchased by Central High Museum, Inc., which was established in October 1994 to preserve the history of the Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957. The nonprofit organization wanted to turn the gas station into a visitor center. With help from the Mobil Foundation (which provided the original specifications for the vintage signage, paint scheme, and gas pumps), the station’s exterior was restored to its 1957 appearance.
The Central High Museum’s visitor center opened in September 1997 for the 40th anniversary of the desegregation events. When Little Rock High School National Historic Site was established in November 1998, the organization donated the building to the National Park Service. It served as the park’s visitor center until the new facility (today’s visitor center) opened in September 2007.
Vintage gas pump at the Magnolia Mobil Gas Station, part of Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
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Last updated on September 19, 2026
