A music video and a Playboy shoot were conducted in Decatur in recent years.

But they were done in an unexpected place.

The Texaco Petrified Wood Station, located on business U.S. 81/287, is a Texas historical landmark that has brought various entertainment companies and interests to town.

In 1927, E.F. Boydston built a shed and a Texaco gas station on the land, according to information provided by Jim and Nancy Rosendahl, who live in Decatur and own the station and its accompanying buildings, which include a cafe and former cabins. Nancy Rosendahl is the granddaughter of E.F. Boydston.

The Boydston family operated the gas station from 1927 until 1989.

E.F. Boydston eventually built a cafe and camphouses on the property. The shed was originally used by travelers as a place to build a campfire before setting up a camp, hence the beginning of the Texas Tourist Camp. In 1931, Boydston built three cabins complete with garages, and these cabins later were faced with rock. Travelers could spend the night in the cabins rather than sleep in tents.

The Rosendahls said the tourist courts of yesteryear ushered in the motoring tourist industry.

“This was the beginning of the motel industry,” Jim Rosendahl said. “It wasn’t in a downtown area, it wasn’t a hotel. It was called a tourist court, that’s how it started. Then they decided we could build a little cafe nearby on the corner, and people would eat and spend the night.”

And get gas, of course. The Texas Tourist Camp became the Texas Tourist Courts in 1931. Boydston also converted the shed into his residence/office, and, in 1935, he added two more cabins with garages and faced these buildings with sandstone.

The gas station was originally made of wood, and in 1935, the building was faced with petrified wood collected from Alvord and Bridgeport. Boydston’s son, Nolan, did the rock work, which consisted of sandstone and petrified wood.

Jim Rosendahl said he thinks his station is the only one in Texas. He said one exists in Lamar, Colo. Nancy Rosendahl said there might be some petrified wood stations elsewhere.

In addition to the station and the Whistle Stop Cafe, an insurance agency – housed in a building that formerly featured the residence/office for the tourist courts – stands on the property.

The cafe closed around 1964 and the courts closed in the early 1970s, according to the family. The cafe was remodeled in 1992 and reopened in 1993. The Web site TexasEscapes.com said outlaws Bonnie and Clyde reportedly stayed in one of the cabins during their stops as they traveled back roads in North Texas.

The station, complete with its non-working gas pumps, retains its charm.

Jim Rosendahl pointed at some black and white photos of the station as it looked in the late 1920s. The station is now his office.

“Look at the people, look at the old car and the visible pumps,” he said about the photos. “But the most remarkable thing is, look at the price of gas.”

The sign showed gas advertised for 1 cent a gallon.

“There was a station down the road here that was selling it for 6 cents a gallon,” said Jim Rosendahl, a retired nuclear engineer.

Eventually, old-fashioned service stations lost their appeal, or simply fell victim to cookie-cutter, self-service gas stations.

This station closed when it could not compete with the self-service stations anymore, the family said.

Jim Rosendahl said that sometime during the 1960s each oil company wanted to unify its station’s appearances.

“Each station then lost its personality, because they all had to meet a uniform standard,” he said.

Nancy Rosendahl said there used to be several stations on business U.S. 81/287, which was the main thoroughfare in Decatur.

The station at one time was wrapped in neon.

“I imagine this was some sight at night, (for people) coming in from either Wichita Falls or Fort Worth,” Jim Rosendahl said.

He said he gets lots of people coming by and asking questions about the station. Many others ask about how they can get to Denton.

“Somehow, it does attract attention,” Jim Rosendahl said of his building. “Because it’s something that’s historical, we restored it back to the way it looked in the 50s. That’s really what the attraction is to not only tourists but these people who want to make movies, music videos and photo shoots because they want to create something in the past and it’s here, it’s available, it exists. They don’t have to build a set. Anyway, we get a lot of fun out of it.”