Photograph of U-Drop Inn — Photograph by Clinton Steeds from Los Angeles, USA, CC BY 2.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Tower Station

Built in 1936 (Art Deco architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

From the record

“The U-Drop Inn, also known as Tower Station and U-Drop Inn and Tower Café, was built in 1936 in Shamrock, Texas along the historic Route 66 highway in Wheeler County. Inspired by the image of a nail stuck in soil, the building was designed by J.”
Wikipedia article U-Drop Inn, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 18 National Register listings published here for Wheeler County · listed in 1997 · category: Building · built in 1936, Art Deco architecture.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. 101 E. 12th St., Shamrock, 79079
When was it listed? September 1997
Category. building
Census division. Shamrock
When was it built? 1936
Architectural style. Art Deco architecture
National Register reference number. 97001160 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

16 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 16 fires within 5 miles of Tower Station between 2005 and 2020, burning about 3,904 acres in total. 1 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	7
Equipment and vehicle use	4
Debris and open burning	2
Natural	1
Misuse of fire by a minor	1
Power generation/transmission/distribution	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
9 September 2009	Natural	3.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	2.5 WEST SHAMROCK
25 September 2020	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	100 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	662020
25 September 2020	Debris and open burning	50 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	GREG GARRISON
2 May 2008	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	300 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	not named
18 April 2018	Power generation/transmission/distribution	2.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	WOODRUFF FIRE
6 March 2018	Equipment and vehicle use	60 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	KIKER RANCH FIRE
6 March 2018	Equipment and vehicle use	60 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	14-2018
21 March 2006	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	30 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	not named

Every fire recorded in Wheeler County

Storms near this property

60 of 99 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Shamrock, the town this property stands in, in 99 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 67 hail, 24 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 2 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
July 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	$500,000	Thunderstorms across the central Texas panhandle produced dime- to quarter-size hail and 60 mph winds. These reports came for EOC's, Sheriff Offices, radio stations, and storm spotters. In Wheeler County thunderstorm winds took portions of the roof from the Best Western Irish Inn and deposited it on six cars, exposing 18 rooms. Total wind damage in the community of Shamrock was in excess of $200K.
June 1997	Hail	Shamrock	$250,000	Numerous reports of golfball to baseball size hail in Shamrock and there was extensive damage.
March 2024	Tornado (EF1)	Shamrock	$75,000	This quick, brief tornado touched down to the north of I-40. Spotters reported a funnel cloud had crossed I-40, but no damage was noted. The tornado caused damage to the Dalton O Gorman Rodeo Arena. Here it caused roof damage where a large section of the eastern half of the roof was blown off and the south facing wall was blown down. No other damage occurred in this area so it is believed to be a narrow path. The tornado\|lifted soon thereafter. The estimated winds with this tornado was 100mph.
April 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	$70,000	An eighteen wheeler was reported blown over and a house lost its roof.
June 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	$67,000	Reported that three semi trucks had been blown over near the town of Shamrock. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
June 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	$50,000	no account filed
December 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	$50,000	no account filed
May 1995	Hail	Shamrock	$25,000	no account filed
March 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	$23,000	Metal building roof caved in and windows and doors were blown out by the high winds. Two houses had their roof raised and several trees with eight inch diameter limbs were blown down. No injuries were reported.
February 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	$15,000	Power lines were reported down in Shamrock.
June 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	$15,000	Report of eighteen-wheeler blown over on the eastern edge of Shamrock on Interstate 40.
October 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	$10,000	Tractor-trailer trucks were reported blown over by the high winds.
April 2012	Hail	Shamrock	$10,000	no account filed
June 2007	Hail	Shamrock	$2,000	Also reported that winds of less than fifty knots caused tree limb damage in the town of Shamrock along with power outages and that the heavy rainfall resulted in brief ponding of water on roadways.
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	$500	The thunderstorm wind gusts caused multiple horse trailers to be flipped over as relayed by the National Severe Storms Laboratory. There were no reports of injuries or fatalities.
February 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	$500	no account filed
June 2024	Flood	Shamrock	-	Public reports of water covering roads and ponding on main street on the north side of Shamrock were received.
May 2019	Hail	Shamrock	-	Late report of half dollar hail. Time estimated by radar.
May 2016	Hail	Shamrock	-	Quarter size hail was reported 1 mile north-northwest of Shamrock, with no accumulation.
May 2016	Hail	Shamrock	-	One inch hail fell in Wheeler.
April 2015	Hail	Shamrock	-	Law enforcement received golf ball size hail 5 miles east-northeast of Shamrock, Texas.
May 2015	Tornado (EF0)	Shamrock	-	This was the third tornado to cycle from the same parent supercell thunderstorm, and the smallest of the three. The exact location and times of the beginning and ending points of the tornado are estimated using spotter reports, radar and survey results as end points were not accessible and occurred in open farmland. Damage was consistent with EF-0 along the path.
May 2013	Hail	Shamrock	-	A thunderstorm moved over the city of Sherman (Wheeler County) during the afternoon hours of the 8th. While over the city, the thunderstorm produced hail up to the size of golf balls as reported by a trained storm spotter.
May 2013	Hail	Shamrock	-	A thunderstorm moved over the city of Sherman (Wheeler County) during the afternoon hours of the 8th. While over the city, the thunderstorm produced hail up to the size of golf balls as reported by law enforcement.
August 2013	Heavy Rain	Shamrock	-	Both discrete thunderstorms and a line of thunderstorms moved across Wheeler County during the late evening hours of the 8th. Both produced heavy rain in Shamrock (Wheeler County) which lead to minor flooding in and around the city as reported by local law enforcement. No swift water rescues or stranded motorist were reported in association to this flooding. The minor flooding quickly dissipated as the heavy rain moved out of the city.
August 2012	Hail	Shamrock	-	The hail was reported by the Texas Department of Public Safety on Interstate 40 in the town of Shamrock, Texas.
July 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	-	Reported by Texas Department of Public Safety officer on Interstate 40 in Shamrock.
September 2003	Flash Flood	Shamrock	-	Flash flooding reported in the town of Shamrock where a two mile stretch of U.S. Highway 66 was underwater and numerous streets were completely underwater.
April 1997	Flash Flood	Shamrock	-	Interstate 40 closed due to high water which also moved 12,000 pound construction concrete blocks.
May 1997	Tornado (F0)	Shamrock	-	Tornado reported in Pakan community.
May 1995	Hail	Shamrock	-	Thunderstorms produced dime- to golf ball-size hail. In Dumas the large hail damaged several automobiles and fell to a depth of two inches in places.
May 1995	Tornado (F0)	Shamrock	-	A significant severe weather day with five tornadoes and hail up to softball-size. Damage in Pampa was estimate at over $200,000. The majority of the remaining damage occurred to automobile along highway corridors. All five tornadoes we over open county and were reported by Skywarn spotters, Vortex spotters or local TV meteorologists.
April 2024	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
June 2023	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
May 2022	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
May 2022	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2019	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2019	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
May 2019	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
June 2012	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2012	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2012	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2012	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2012	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2012	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
June 2012	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2009	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2009	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
July 2009	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
July 2009	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
June 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	-	no account filed
June 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	-	no account filed
May 2007	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2006	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2006	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
June 2006	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
May 2006	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
May 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2005	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed
April 2004	Hail	Shamrock	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Wheeler County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Route 66 in Wheeler County, Texas	1.6 miles	2020
Route 66 in Wheeler County, Texas	2.4 miles	2020
Route 66 in Wheeler County, Texas	2.9 miles	2020
Route 66 in Wheeler County, Texas	3.4 miles	2020
Route 66 in Wheeler County, Texas	4.2 miles	2020
Route 66 in Wheeler County, Texas	5.1 miles	2020

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 97001160 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Wheeler County	All 18 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.