I've always liked to look at gas stations.  The stations being built today are very similar to the buildings of the 1920's and 30's.  I'll be posting older (pre-1970) photos.  By all means contribute if you have similar pictures.

 

A pair of Texaco stations sit next to one another on the right along with the Gila Auto Court in Gila Bend, Arizona.  Down the road is the A G cafe.

This station has a single pump that is topped with a Magnolia globe.  On the front of the station are signs pointing the way to Rock Springs and San Anotnio while another sign send you down the road to Del Rio.  A Star Tobacco sign is visible along with the always present Coca - Cola advertising (I think that Coke had a sign on or in front of 98% of the filling stations in America before 1960).  This little station was located in Laguna, Texas.

 

 

I've seen a number of photos showing pre-WWII era gas stations that carried multiple brands of gasoline.  The large pole-mountain porcelain sign advertises Atlantic White Flash.  The pump globes are branded, from the left: White Flash; Sunoco; American and Esso.  An Essolube oil can rack is against the building which has a pair of Coca - Cola signs visible.

There is so much to see in this picture.  Over the doorway of what was probably the big store in Piermont, New Hampshire is a large sign that reads "Howard Bros." and another indicating they are a member of "Nation - Wide Service Grocers".  This building also served as a Post Office.  In front with what are now antique autos is a pair of gas pumps and a Socony Gargoyle Motor Oil cabinet topped with the oval globe.  The large sign by the road proclaims "Socony is Standard". Trojan Ice Cream, which was produced in Troy, New York, was also available here for those who had the urge.

 

 

I love those photos. Some bring back memories. When I was a kid (1940s), my dad used to buy gas for his '41 Chevy at a sort of ramshackle general store in Wolf Lake, Indiana, where they sold groceries, hardware, and even ice cut from the lake in winter and stored in a sawdust-lined pit. The pump was similar to this one on display at Moser Ford, billed as Indiana's oldest Ford dealer, in Berne, Indiana:

 

 

The glass tank at the top had a measuring stick inside, calibrated in gallons, not dollars. You used the lever on the side of the pump to pump up the number of gallons you wanted, and then used the hose to run it into your tank by gravity.

 

Here's a photo of a gas station just north of the Wabash River bridge in Bluffton, Indiana, that I took late on a drizzly-foggy night just before Christmas, 1962. It's still there, although no longer a Phillips 66, and it's still known locally as the Airplane Station for the 1930s structure that stood there into the fifties, shaped like single-engine airplane with the wings extending out to form canopies over the gas pumps. I regret now that I never took a photo of that.

 

my grandfather ran a gas station like those in southern illinois when he was young, before he worked for ohio engineering. he used to say the clear and more expensive red colored gas were the same, they just added red dye!

Hi Rob,

 

I really like the Phillips 66 photo.  Has sort of an eerie feel to it!  If you have others please post them.  I've seen photos of a number of airplane stations - obviously more popular as a source of gas than I would have thought.

 

Steve

 

 

This station was located in Deule County, Nebraska.  Jack Brown's Service was most likely at what is present the intersection of U.S. 30 (the Lincoln Highway) and U.S. 138 on the outskirts of Big Springs, which is near the Colorado state line.  In addition to the Conoco signage there are also Quaker State and Coca - Cola signs at the far end of the lot.  Like many stations of this era there is a cafe here too.

 

 

Jeff's was located somewhere near Newburgh, New York.  The location is not noted on this postcard, however the photo finishing occurred in Newburgh.

 

This was taken in the days of one retailer having multiple brands of gas available.  Texaco pumps are under the canopy, however there are also pumps branded for Sunoco, Esso and Standard.  Besides the globes there is great signage on this card.  Pumps signs can be seen along with signs on the oil dispensers and a circular Texaco sign atop the canopy.  A Texaco "tombstone" motor oil sign is visible along with the always present Coca-Cola sign.

 

A Bell Systems globe is hanging from the canopy along with a Bell Systems porcelain sign on the concession stand.  Also at the stand are signs for Western Union, Orange Crush, Julep, and a partially covered El Producto cigars ad!

These are great! I remember so many places like some of those from when I was a kid. I don't think I have any real-life photos other than the Philips 66, but I do have a few photos of restorations and museum-type displays. Here's one in downtown Lafayette, Indiana, taken in 2005:

 

 

The car is a 1934 Cadillac; the photos link to more.

As many of you know the Coventry & Shaker train station also served as a gas station (the station was built by SOHIO) and we had a SOHIO gas station inside of Moreland Courts motor court.  Unfortunately I don't have historical pics of either.

 

I do have these to share.

 

The Marathon on Euclid Hts. Blvd. in Cleveland Heights

 

The Gulf Station on Coventry

 

E. 140 & Glendale

 

I can't remember where these two stations are.

 

 

I've seen photos of a number of airplane stations - obviously more popular as a source of gas than I would have thought.

 

Avon Lake used to have one- Kekic's Marathon, on Lake Rd.  It's gone now, like most any little bit of character that town used to have.

Somewhere in Cleveland

 

Standard Oil station in the background of this photo of the asphalt paving of Broadway in Lorain:

 

 

http://www.loraincityhistory.org/archive/indexfullpicture.asp?imageid=745&str=sohio

As many of you know the Coventry & Shaker train station also served as a gas station (the station was built by SOHIO) and we had a SOHIO gas station inside of Moreland Courts motor court.  Unfortunately I don't have historical pics of either.

Apparently Standard Oil built these stations around the State.  United Dairy Farmers operates this location in a former gas station on Clifton Avenue at Howell Street in Cincinnati.  You could still buy gas here through the 1980's, and maybe the early 1990's (my memory is fading on this point).  All UDF convenience stores have a full service counter selling their extremely tasty ice cream. 

This is such a great image. Tashers was one of several roadside tourists camps that used teepee style rooms.  This camp was located in South Bend, Indiana.  Texaco products were sold here and one pump dispensed the lower priced Indian gasoline (I wonder if this place chose Texaco because of the Indian affiliation!).  The neon sign has the image of a Native-American with the lettering: Tashers Indian Village Heap Good Food  Drinks.

 

These rooms have a pair of windows showing and look a bit fancier than the facilities at wigwam motels located in Wharton, Texas, Cave City, Kentucky and Holbrook, Arizona.  Rumors abound that Rob_1412 once stayed in the 3rd teepee....

...  Rumors abound that Rob_1412 once stayed in the 3rd teepee ...

How in hell ... I thought all the witnesses were dead by now. And that muddy driveway was one f...in' mess.

 

Standard Oil station in the background of this photo of the asphalt paving of Broadway in Lorain:

 

 

http://www.loraincityhistory.org/archive/indexfullpicture.asp?imageid=745&str=sohio

I am absolutely sure that's a concrete-paving machine, so it must be the 1940 work that's shown in the photo. Besides, the car that barely shows beyond the machine, with the rear-mounted spare tire, is a mid-thirties model. I don't see any bricks, either; they're pouring concrete on a compacted sand base.

 

Uh-oh!

< :speech: >

Asphalt was and still is mixed hot at the plant and delivered to the job site in trucks, where it's dumped into a machine that spreads and levels it, to be packed on follow-up by road rollers.

 

This machine is clearly a cement mixer very similar to the ones on modern cement trucks, except that it's self-loading. The dumptruck barely visible on the left is dumping a cement/aggregate/sand mix into the hopper. A hoist will swing it up and dump the contents into the rotating drum, and water will be added from the tank on the machine, which might be kept filled from a tank truck or from a hose to a nearby hydrant.

 

When the mix is ready, the drum rotation reverses so that the mixing vanes inside force the cement out into a bucket suspended on a trolley from the beam you see extending above the workers on the right. The beam can be swung left to right, and the bottom of the bucket is a valve that allows the concrete to be spread into forms for working and leveling probably by hand.

 

Click any photo for more:

 

 

 

 

</ :speech: >

Thank you for your attention. Class dismissed.

This attractive station was located on Route 11 (the Lackawanna Trail) south of town.  The three pumps have a Pennzoil sign on one end of the island and a Coca - Cola lollipop to the rear.  The thermometer to the right of the screen door is also a Coca - Cola with the sillouete of a woman drinking from a bottle.

 

Behind the station is the Tunkhannock Viaduct.  This was the longest of its kind when completed in 1915 for the Delaware, Lackawnna, & Western Railroad.  The bridge is 240 feet high over Tunkhannock Creek and is 2,375 feet long.

Handsome station, and the property looks squeaky-clean and orderly. Tile roof, too! They sure don't build 'em like that any more!

How 'bout new pictures of old gas stations?

 

Delaware, Ohio. I'd guess an old Sunoco.

 

Across the road in Delaware. Probably Pure Oil.

 

Russellville. Old Shell station.

This combination home/store/gas station had a complete line of Esso brand (Standard Oil) products when this photo was taken around 1933.  The three pumps are flanked by a pair of oil can racks and a display case of items located on the island.  An air meter can also be seen underneath the Esso oval. Signs promoted Clean, Sanitary Rest Rooms, and also advertised Esso Credit Cards Accepted, Esso Verified Lubrication, and Atlas Tires.

 

Great pic. I had never given any thought to folks using credit cards back then, but as I thought about it I remembered my aunt using them in the 40s. They were from specific stores, though, not the bank cards accepted everywhere, that came along much later.

 

The ones my aunt used were called "charge plates" if I remember correctly, about the same size as a contemporary plastic card, and they were thin metal plates embossed on an addressograph machine with her name, account number, and address.

 

I'm thoroughly enjoying these. Most are a few years before my time, but not much had changed except some of the cars by the time I was old enough to remember.

That is a great Esso Sign.  SOHIO and many retailers called them "charge cards".

Before there was VISA, there was BankAmericard

 

 

I remember when Higbee's and May Co only took their own charge plates, and they were differently shaped than a modern card - a little shorter and wider.

I don't how old this station is, but it's definitely abandoned.

 

Great pic. I had never given any thought to folks using credit cards back then, but as I thought about it I remembered my aunt using them in the 40s. They were from specific stores, though, not the bank cards accepted everywhere, that came along much later.

 

The ones my aunt used were called "charge plates" if I remember correctly, about the same size as a contemporary plastic card, and they were thin metal plates embossed on an addressograph machine with her name, account number, and address.

 

I'm thoroughly enjoying these. Most are a few years before my time, but not much had changed except some of the cars by the time I was old enough to remember.

 

The pre-WWII credit cards that I have seen were paper or thin cardboard.  From the cards and signage I would say that "Charge It" was in-style during the 1930's. Glad that folks like the cards (most of the photos/printed images that I have are postcards).  I have a nice collection that I began around 1987.  Many filling stations such as the ones pictured were still open in the 1960's.  Bond Hill (Cincinnati) had 9 different brands of gasoline available in a fairly small area.

 

Considering this was (and is) a popular resort area, Rob may have been to this station.  The card was postmarked on August 2, 1938 in Monticello and was from someone visiting Indiana Beach.  Dennie's featured Pure gasoline and Tiolene motor oil (Tiolene was Pure's in-house brand).  According to a small sign on the right Quaker State oil was in stock.  There is a large glass display case between the pumps (common in this era, they often displayed branded products from the oil company).  Two racks of oil bottles (one rack has the tall Tiolene bottles with some Quaker State cans underneath) are to the left of the pumps.

 

A pair of Coca - Cola signs are visible.  A large post mounted sign is just left of the pump island while a smaller sign is next to the doorway.  Other signage includes a Taystee Bread screen door (with a dog out front), LUNCH over the doorway and a neon BEER sign in the window.

 

A border crossing between Canada and the United States is shown here.  Red Crown gasoline is available at the gas station/restaurant (Note: the gas station/restaurant combination has reappeared in recent years!).  A small Orange Crush sign is to the right of the restaurant doorway while a large El Producto cigar sign is mounted on the corner of the building.  A pair of lollipop style signs advertise Red Crown gas and Iso-Vis motor oil.  Pigeon River is located on Minnesota's extreme northeastern edge and shares the border with the province of Ontario.

 

 

Lord Clarendon was an outlet for Atlantic gasoline, a fact that is hard to miss with that massive sign on the roof.  This station on U.S. 301 in Summerton, South Carolian has three 1930's - 1940's style pumps.  Two of the pumps have Hi - Arc pump signs while the third is a White Flash.  Five oil despensers and a rack of cans are on the island.  In addition to the "Lord Clarendon Restaurant Rooms Accessories" neon there are many other signs present.  Barely visible over the doorway is a Western Union; on the large pole are signs for Atlantic, Greyhound Lines, AAA, and a Trailways Bus Depot.

 

On  the right side of the card there is a man who appears to be holding a can.  To his left there is a small Dr Pepper thermometer and to his right, on the window, is the lettering & "Colored Waiting Room".

That's a beauty; clean and modern, and talk about "full service!" It looks like the kind of place you would welcome for a break while on a long drive.

 

With legal segregation so far in the past, it's sometimes a smack upside the head to be reminded that it was pervasive in every sort of business and public activity venue, and mostly unchallenged, then.

Allison Landscaping

Anderson Ferry and Rapid Run Rd.

Cincinnati

 

Tourist camps abounded before the motel took over the American highways after WWII.  Two of the cabins available here can be seen in this photo.  Between the cabins you can just make out a set of road signs with city names, a small shelter, and a large dog which looks to be a St. Bernard.

 

Gulf's slogan back in the day was "That Good Gulf Gasoline".  The pair of visible pumps were ready to fill 'er up! Large quantities of motor oil is available in refillable glass bottles or the less environmentally friendly cans.  A sign is mounted on the station showing a large soft drink bottle with an arrow pointing to the product.  Can anyon identify the brand?

Pete's Texaco Super Service & Truck Stop - 2405 East 10th Street Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  Check out the neon signs of Pete's Truck Stop, Chris' Country Grill Cafe, and Texaco.  The pumps on the closest island show a Fire Chief sign on the red pump and scarcer Texaco Diesel Chief pumps signs on the pair of pumps that are green.  A rack of Firestone tires is to the rear.  One rapidly disappearing item shown is that glass telephone booth.

The Westside Camp offered Modern & Plain Cottages, along with steam heat.  The sign on the side of the building says Groceries, while three pumps indicate the availability of fuel. This great little place has every comfort that a weary traveller could want..  Gas, food, and lodging.  There is some nice advertising here.  A Quaker State sign is present along with a porcelain AAA oval that is hanging under the canopy.  The Westside Camp and Steam Heat signs are neon.

 

Under the canopy mounted on the building are 2 signs that puzzle me.  On the left the sign appears to have the Earth with Europe and Africa showing.  The sign on the right looks like a man or boy wearing overalls.  Can anyone identify these?

 

 

Besides a couple of gas pumps with art deco styling there are a variety of signs at this gasoline station on U.S. 219.  Two versions of Atlantic signs are mounted on poles out front, the older Atlantic White Flash and the red and white Atlantic sign.  Over the entranceway is an announcement of: Dinners Chicken Steak Ham so the Old Stone Tavern was still functioning as a restaurant.  The always present Coca - Cola sign points the way to the trailer camp.  There are also Duquense beer and Imperial Ice Cream signs in front.

 

A 1937 Chevrolet flatbed truck is parked down by the bridge.  This building still stands and is known as Railey's Stone Tavern which is located near the north end of the Route 219 Deep Creek Lake Bridge in Oakland, Maryland.

Nice. Too bad we've lost so many places that had individual character and made each road trip something unique.

This station was located at the junction of U.S. 31-W & KY 61.  The building appears to be a station designed by Walter Teague.  This location is fairly typical of most Texaco outlets from this time period except for the building on the left side of the card.  Also built of the same style and with the outward appearance of the gas station, the other building looks like a cafe.

This great little country store was located 18 miles west of Cadillac, Michigan and 3 miles south of the village of Caberfaead and is in the Manistee National Forest. A U.S. Post Office, which has the old style blue and red mailbox out front, was operated from this building.  Sinclair gasoline is available from a pair of pumps and a porcelain Sinclair sign identifies the station.

This photo shows a small roadside gas station with a couple of pumps.  The pump on the left has a clamshell shaped glode showing that pump carried Shell gasoline.  Globe #2 has a name on it but the writing is much to small to read.  In addition to the gas station there are tourist cabins that come complete with a bath.  Parked out in the field is a beautiful 1920's vintage auto.  Maybe some sharp eyed person can provide the year and make. Check out the trunk, which is a trunk.  The fender mounted spare looks like a whitewall tire.  Does this location look familiar to anyone?  Identifying the location of this postcard would be nice!

Here's a photo of a gas station just north of the Wabash River bridge in Bluffton, Indiana, that I took late on a drizzly-foggy night just before Christmas, 1962. It's still there, although no longer a Phillips 66, and it's still known locally as the Airplane Station for the 1930s structure that stood there into the fifties, shaped like single-engine airplane with the wings extending out to form canopies over the gas pumps. I regret now that I never took a photo of that.

 

 

Rob, is that the Airplane Express at 407 N. Main Street?  I'm talking about where E. Division Road (IN 124) takes off eastbound from Main Street (IN 1/116).  I have had the good fortune of filling up not once, but twice, at that station.  The first time was in April 2003 (when it was still Phillips 66), but when I returned in June 2004, it switched over to Marathon.

Here's a photo of a gas station just north of the Wabash River bridge in Bluffton, Indiana, that I took late on a drizzly-foggy night just before Christmas, 1962. It's still there, although no longer a Phillips 66, and it's still known locally as the Airplane Station for the 1930s structure that stood there into the fifties, shaped like single-engine airplane with the wings extending out to form canopies over the gas pumps. I regret now that I never took a photo of that.

 

 

Rob, is that the Airplane Express at 407 N. Main Street? I'm talking about where E. Division Road (IN 124) takes off eastbound from Main Street (IN 1/116). I have had the good fortune of filling up not once, but twice, at that station. The first time was in April 2003 (when it was still Phillips 66), but when I returned in June 2004, it switched over to Marathon.

 

Yes, it is. I grew up on a dairy farm south of Bluffton and went to high school there (BHS Class of '57). The Airplane Station was (still is, I think) open 24 hours, and in my late teens/early twenties it was where I got my '56 Ford serviced and where we stopped for gas or to use a restroom when a bunch of us were out running around at ridiculously late hours. That photo was taken when I was home from the USAF on Christmas leave in 1962.

Bring out your dead.  That would be this topic.  I haven't been doing much posting here the last couple of years but hopefully that will change....

 

The Star Service Station and Sandwich Shop was located aong U.S. 85 in Hatch, New Mexico.  The nicely decorated station was painted in a desert theme that I would imagine would match the surrounding area.  Texaco products were sold here and the familiar Fire Chief and Sky Chief signs can be seen on the visible pumps.  It looks like there is a locomotive to the right of the station!

 

 

Want to see a larger version of this photo?  Visit here:

The Log Cabin Inn sold Socony (Standard Oil Company of New York) from this quaint looking building.  E.L. Dunn was the proprietor.  A nice set of glass oil bottles is at the ready next to the classic gas pump.  There are a couple of Fro - Joy ice cream signs showing along with a sign for Chicken Dinner which was a candy bar made by the Sperry Candy Co. of Milwaukee.

For a larger version of this photo, visit:

Jahe-Marys Place has Fine Food - Beer - Gas - Cabins.  Looks like they're selling Sky Chief and Fire Chief from the pumps.  This place was located on US 20 just 5 miles east of Painesville.

Bigger sizes to be seen at:

Cannon Gas & Oil - Pottsville PA

Located at South Centre & Morris Streets this attractive station had 3 pumps dispensing Tydol products.

Although it looks a lot different, this building is still there.  The north side of the structure with the rock wall is visible on Google Earth.

 

More to see on Flickr:

^^North Perry?? :-(

Stuckey's were all over the South.  When I was a kid in the 1960's it seemed that there was a Stuckey's at every major intersection or interstate exit.  Most seemed to have Texaco gasoline.  They were always so neat and clean looking.  I don't ever recall trying a praline or pecan roll.  Anyone ever stop in at one of these?

Reading Rd and University(?) Ave in Cincinnati.

 

 

 

Reading Rd and University(?) Ave in Cincinnati.

I keep looking at this and I think it may be across the street from University.  I believe this is the southeast corner at Reading & Lincoln where the Sears store was.  There is a slight downhill slope to the street that is on Lincoln Ave. For those of you not familiar with Cincinnati, University Avenue and Lincoln Avenue meet at Reading Road.  Same street, just a different name going east (Lincoln)  or west (University).  Great photo!

 

 

I have many new pictures of old gas stations, but the only vintage photo I have is this one.

 

Boyd's Uptown Service at the corner of Clay Avenue & Second Street in Muskegon, Michigan (1920s?)

Intersection of 2nd and Clay by Eridony, on Flickr

Great looking posed photo takenat The Chalet.  Besides the 3 pumps dispensing Tydol products there are oil bottles to be seen, a Bell Telephone porcelain sign, a travel trailer, and even the family dog in this wonderful image.

 

Harmon Texaco - Harve MT

Junction Highways 2 & 87

Products include diesel, gas, propane, and nitrogen.

Classic looking 24-hour truck stop and diner (the 2-87 cafe).  There's at least one pump dispensing Texaco Diesel Chief.  Sure have gotten to the point where I miss seeing phone booths!