At one time, Pan Am was one of the largest oil companies in the US, with marketing not only in the south (originally as Panamco during 1923 and 1924, then Pan Am from the fall of 1924 forward), but also through a subsidiary "Mexican Petroleum" using the Pan Am name in New York and New England, and using the Pan Gas brand in California. The company was purchased by Standard of Indiana in 1925 and pieces started to go different directions. First off, the California operation was sold off to Richfield in the late 1920s. Then Standard began expanding Pan Am's subsidiary American Oil, in which they purchased had minority interest in 1923. In 1933 Standard realigned the brands and Pan-Am surrendered their Mexican Petroleum subsidiary in New England, New York and northern New Jersey to American Oil, and Pan-Am marketing in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida was also converted to American Oil. They advertised versions of "Make it Amoco from Maine to Florida" in the early years after the realignment. Pan-Am was relegated to Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, adding Arkansas (1947, purchased Root Refining) and Kentucky (early 1950s). In 1958 the Pan Am name was phased out in those, by now, six states, in favor or Amoco but using a torch and oval logo, not the red oval used on the east coast. Then, in December 1960 is was announced the all of the Amoco brand would be replaced with American. This happened in the summer of 1961. In 1971 the began phasing Amoco back in, and Amoco was reintroduced to replace American completely in 1974.
Wayne Henderson
Petroleum Collectibles Monthly
Kernersville, NC
