The Gas Station: A Barbecue Restaurant and Horror Movie Attraction in Bastrop, Texas
Published: July 24, 2024
Updated: February 2, 2026
The Gas Station, located on State Highway 304 in Bastrop, Texas, is a barbecue restaurant and horror movie tourist attraction site. The location is best-known for its appearance in the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The Gas Station was established in 1960 and initially operated as a local gas station south of Bastrop. The location was featured in several scenes of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1974, but the building was eventually abandoned and fell into disrepair through the years. In 2014 the property was purchased by Roy and Lisa Rose, who moved from Ohio to Bastrop to restore the structure. The Rose family were fans of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise (the franchise and subsequent movie sequels spelled "chainsaw" as one word) and its filmmaker Tobe Hooper, who hailed from Austin, Texas.
In 2016 the restoration project for The Gas Station reached its conclusion, and the owners procured various 1970s items, including an antique gas tank and Coca-Cola machine, to replicate those seen in the movie. It retained its original overhang signage: “We Slaughter Barbecue.” The Gas Station was publicly unveiled in 2016 during an opening ceremony attended by actors Edwin Neal and Ed Guinn who appeared in the 1974 movie. Neal is known for his portrayal of the hitchhiker character, while Guinn is recognized for his role as a truck driver.
In 2022 the owners were sued for copyright infringement by Vortex, Inc., holders of copyright for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, for the sale of a number of items without a licensing agreement. As of 2024 The Gas Station operated as a pit-stop barbecue restaurant and included a motel, multiple campsites, and a gift shop. The business (also referred to as the Last Chance Gas Station) is a popular tourist attraction in Bastrop County, and many fans of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise visit The Gas Station every year.
Bibliography:
Austin American-Statesman, October 24, 2019. The Gas Station, Texas Film Commission (https://gov.texas.gov/film/trail/the-gas-station-thrills), accessed July 7, 2024. Houston Chronicle, October 12, 2021. Lisa Iannucci, On Location: A Film and TV Lover’s Travel Guide (Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot, 2018). San Antonio Express-News, October 27, 2019. Kelsey Thompson, “Bastrop’s ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ site a haven for horror enthusiasts,” July 15, 2022, KXAN (https://www.kxan.com/things-to-do/bastrops-texas-chainsaw-massacre-site-a-haven-for-horror-enthusiasts/), accessed July 7, 2024.
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
José Andrés Herrera Farías, “The Gas Station,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/the-gas-station.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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- July 24, 2024
- February 2, 2026
