Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana COTM - May, 2006 - " KEYSTONE "

Were there Keystone oilers and lighter fluid you ask? At least these versions exist...they are on ebay right now.

The seller said feel free to use the pic, and "God Bless", so I'll pass that on to you also. Bid through this site if interested # 7243358289.

Here is another map, this one from United Refining. I believe this would be the general look of the early United identification sign, #2 that was described awhile back. (On the sign, the Vitalized would be across the top in the red and the Gasoline would be across the bottom in the blue.)


(Used w/permission from Jon Roma’s map site http://zippy.cso.uiuc.edu/~roma/roadmaps/)

Keep it coming- we are all enjoying!!!

Thanks Scott, we're rounding turn four.

Hopefully you guys & gals can read this map from 1952… many people can’t read maps, but that’s another issue.


The bottom part speaks of United’s products as having established a “world wide reputation for highest quality”.

This 1962 map points out that it’s distribution area is not quite worldwide…it’s Western PA, Southwestern NY and NE Ohio.


Below and above, posted here on Primarily Petroliana, the Premium product pictured on the pump is Powerflight. (Say that 3 times fast.)


I wish I had better Keystone map scans, including the information on the back/inside, but neither Bill nor I own any.

Got Keystone??


[This message has been edited by tokheim (edited 05-24-2006).]

Here is a license plate that my antique dealer friend picked up for me several years ago. It’s painted on aluminum and was very hazy like aluminum gets till I cleaned it up with never-dull. Not sure if that was the thing to do, now it looks a bit too new except for the old paint and bolt marks!

Three old United Refinery pics, probably from the 30s.

When they talk about production and refining, barrels are the unit of measure. Some old wooden ones are shown here.


And two views from across the Allegheny river.




Still expanding today, in 1961 the refinery sprawled about a mile along the Allegheny's banks.

I don't have pictures of this once Keystone station when it was in operation, and not quite sure how to classify/describe the architecture…but I like it. It has very intricate detail above the doors and on the raised octagon part of the structure. This combined with the roof almost makes it look Spanish to me? It’s similar in design but less impressive than my best station pic, one from the 40’s which is yet to come. I would say it was pumping fuel in the 40’s also.

This building is smack dab in front of the refinery to this day and still looks the same. They basically expanded around it. I was planning to get back up to Warren and take a today picture but didn’t make it. (Just as well. It makes people uncomfortable/excited these days when a bearded 40 year old male is spotted hanging out across the street from a refinery taking pictures while trucks roll in and out.)

Here are a couple squinters for you all.

Patches with the United Keystone logo.


And a free bag of charcoal with a 7 gallon purchase.
Sorry I was too cheap to buy the add, you’ll have to look at the sample image.

Some more notable changes/additions include:
1966 ~ Purchase of 60 Skat stations.
1969 ~ United Purchased Blythe Oil Company and Gen-Val Oil Company of Perry NY adding 6 “Arrow” stations. These stations remained “Arrow” and were not re-branded Keystone. I don’t think the Skat stations were either.
1969 ~ United also “went public” with its stock for the first time.
1972 ~ Criteria was met for the stock to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
1973 ~ Purchase of Osceola Refining Company, West Branch, Michigan. (Also primarily a fuels refiner, as United continues to focus on Gasoline & Fuels instead of lubrication products.) Plans for this purchase to facilitate an expansion westward in their market area soon were set aside. Osceola processed primarily Canadian crude. Unforeseen regulatory changes in the importation of the crude, plus the EPA’s program to reduce/eliminate lead in retail gasoline meant for expensive changes in at this MI facility, so United sold it again in 1976.
1977 ~ United Celebrates 75 year anniversary, has 1800 employees, and “had at last count 715 gasoline stations operating in PA, NY, OH, MI & DE.” (Many different gasoline brands besides Keystone)

* * One piece of reference material says United Purchased the Keystone Stations from Pennzoil in the 70’s. Perhaps they bought the name back that went along with the Elk stations?. We know United had Keystone stations back to the 30's.

Ok, not Keystone but a cool picture taken in Warren. PA that I found.


[This message has been edited by tokheim (edited 05-29-2006).]

1980 ~ Coral Petroleum, Houston Texas purchased the majority of United’s shares.
1986 ~ John Catsimatidis of New York City Purchased United as his refining arm of his diversified “Red Apple Group”. John is the current owner today. Most of the United statins were branded Kwik-Fill & Red Apple Food Marts.

A handful remained Keystone, and still are today, both company owned and private branded sites.
This logo was “used in the 80’s and 90’s”, but most operating Keystone stations still have this branded image.

When I was taking a pic of a station and asking questions, the kid pumping gas said “Hey, I know where there is an old Keystone sign out back of a building down this alley.” My optimistic brain says porcelain, cool!
But it was this.


2000 ~ United made several attempts to purchase Getty Petroleum but the hammer never dropped.
2001 ~ United purchases Country Fair, which owed 68 convenience stores in PA, NY & OH and sold Citgo gasoline. These remain Country Fair and of course Citgo was out, United gasoline in.
2003 ~ United celebrates it’s 100 year anniversary, maxed out for now with a production capacity of 65,000 to 72,000 barrels of crude per day, and has been cranking 24/7/365 for decades without stopping.

Today ~ From United’s Web site”
“While primary emphasis is placed upon maximizing yields of motor gasoline and distillate fuels, the refinery produces a full range of petroleum products. In addition to unleaded gasoline, our products include kerosene, diesel fuel, Number 2 home heating oil, industrial fuels, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), propane and several grades of asphalts.”

The "current" image/logo is this one, introduced around 1992, but unlike the majors they did not go out and change all the old canopies and signs immediately.
To introduce their new image, this United owned Keystone station was built as a tribute of sorts to Keystone’s roots, designed architecturally similar (but not nearly as impressive…on a budget you know) to the 30’s & 40’s stations where Keystone Gasoline’s roots lie. Refreshingly, the logo is very similar to the die-cut Keystone Porcelain from the 40’s / 60’s



They considered vintage pumps, but went with boring new dispensers with card readers, etc.
Personally, like most of you I would have loved to see even Tok 39’s out front pumping gas.



You’ve gotta give them credit however for re-popping some globes for the building, and the new but older style Eco air meter.

Good morning, care for Keystone Coffee or juice?

Here is an awesome Keystone station that was on Water Street in Warren PA. Taken in 1940.

Looks like Tok 850, Erie 53, and I don’t know what the pumps in the columns are, could be Erie but not sure.

Under the waving flag it looks like a oil bottle rack with a globe on top?

And an awesome delivery truck. Check out the Keystone lollypop sign between the cab and the tanker trailer…ever seen one of those?

Well folks, that’s it!
Glad you could join me with this COTM, a visit to Keystone gasoline, United Refining, and things related.


Thanks to everyone that helped, read, contributed and/or let me use their images. Special thanks to Jim, Bob, Hubba, the Hosts, and to all of you that make Oldgas Premium!
HAGD

WOW, WHAT A GREAT COTM....LOTS OF PICS (WHICH WE ALL LOVE ESP ME) AND GREAT HISTORY. ALOT OF HARD WORK WENT INTO THIS I CAN TELL AND I WANTED TO THANK TOKHEIM FOR PUTTING A 5-STAR EFFORT INTO KEYSTONE COTM!

~DOC @ TAG.WEST

NOW I JUST HOPE THAT JJ WILL PUT DOWN THE REMOTE AND GET OFF THE COUCH AND START JUNE'S COTM FOR SKELLY! LOL!

[This message has been edited by THE AMERICAN GARAGE (edited 06-01-2006).]

Great job Tokhein. Love the vintage pics...