A BLAST FROM THE PAST - Sat Jul 09 2011 08:51 PM
About 20 miles from my home a Old style service station is still operational(not pumping gas). A big part of this hobby for me is the history of stations and the people that experienced what is was like to own and operate one. Knowing how it was a way for the average American to build a client base and operate a successful business is very interesting to me. As one of the younger member's on this site, looking at pictures is the only way I can really see how simple things were. No regulations and No BS! In my opinion the service station business was a major part of this economy that is now lost due to less maintenance on vehicles. On my weekend drive I always passed by this old Texaco Station. I never stopped in until about two years ago. I met a very nice man by the name of Ray-who owned and operated the station. His father bought the Texaco station back in 1953. This station has been a Texaco station since 1923. I always tried to stop in a talk to Ray about how it was to run a station and memories he had as a child. My interest in Texaco made him feel comfortable talking to me about the history of the station. Ray showed me numerous photos of the station and his father. The station has not been touched since the 50's. The original Eco 37 still hangs outside in operation. The original cigarette machine, ice cream cooler, and about everything else is still there. The original alignment rack is still in use. Talking to the owner made me realize besides materialistic things, the history and stories of the service station industry is also very important to this hobby. Here are some pics of the station. I am in the process of helping the owner bring it back to the way it looked in the 1950's by adding pumps and other Texaco items to the station. Enjoy!
