Mario's Tribute to the History of Gas Stations

1 1888 Bertha Benz (1849-1944) and the Benz Patent-Motorwagen prototype #3. All three were designed and built by her husband Karl Benz (1844-1929). The first Benz automobile was produced in 1886.

2 1888 Benz-Motorwagen had a 954cc single cylinder petrol engine with a top speed of 10 mph. It had no fuel tank with only a single carburetor holding a storage of 1.2 Gal petrol.

3 The first filling station was the City Pharmacy in Wiesloch, Germany. Bertha Benz refilled the carburetor tank of the 1888 Benz (1.2 gal) on its maiden trip from Mannheim to Pforzheim in 1888 distance of 65 miles.

4 Bertha Benz 1849-1944. Business partner and wife of automobile inventor Karl Benz. On 5 August 1888, she was the first person to drive an internal-combustion-engine automobile a long distance of 65 miles.

5 1890s Photo shows a man filling Gas into his car. Motorists were able to pump their own gas at filling stations, but they were little more than a pump at the curbside.

6 1905 to 1913 Early Gas Stations. 1905 First dedicated gas station established in St. Louis, Mo. 1907 First Service station in Seattle, WA. 1909 Oldest existing gas station in the US, Altoona, PA. 1913 First drive-in service station in Pittsburgh, PA.

7 1920 Gas Station in Wash DC. Self-service back then too. In the early years motorists bought gasoline from hardware stores, general stores, pharmacies, and even blacksmiths.

8 1920s AMOCO Gas Station. These businesses had pre-existing relationships with the refineries through their sale of kerosene, used for stoves and as a lighting fuel.

9 1920s Dome Gas. Stored in 5-gallon cans stacked curbside or in large above-ground tanks, the fuel was poured into the car’s gas tank using a funnel with a chamois cloth as a filter.

10 1920s Gas at 20 cents a gallon. Due to fire danger and unfortunate mishaps, regulators forced the sale of gas to dedicated retail facilities. Thus, the filling station was born.

11 1920s Ford Sales and Service. Look at all those Model T’s. Both the filling station and the gas pump would evolve into what we now know as the modern gas station.

12 1920s Texaco Gas Station (The Texas Company). During the early 1920s, gas stations were still in their infancy, evolving alongside the automobile industry. Looks like an early shopping mall.

13 1920s Lemans Tire Shop. Barney Oldfield tires only $9.99 each. People just drove up on the sidewalk to get their tires.

14 1920s Super Motor Fuel. Unregulated and modest in scale, these stations were comprised of a small building and a single pump.

15 1920s Bowser Chief Sentry Hand Gas Pump. This pump played a vital role in providing essential services to motorists.

16 1920s No name gas and motor oil shack. Tire repairs, lubrication, and the sale of oil, batteries, and tires were among the primary offerings.

17 1920s Texaco Gasoline Filling Station (primarily they filled gas tanks). Both the filling station and the gas pump would evolve into what we now know as the modern gas station.

18 1920s Texaco Gas Station, Wash DC. The architectural styles varied, from quaint wooden structures to utilitarian designs, but all exuded a sense of practicality and functionality.

19 1920s Texaco Gasoline Oil Service Station. Gas stations have long been a familiar sight on American roadways, serving as crucial pit stops for motorists on their journeys.

20 1920s Filling up at a Vintage Gas Station. Notice Champion Spark Plug sign on the right side.

21 1920s Texaco Gas Station. These early gas stations often blended into the surrounding landscapes, showcasing an organic integration with their communities.

22 1924 Jeff’s Texaco Gas Station, Newburgh, NY. Early on, they were known to motorists as “filling stations”. These filling stations were known to wash your windows for free.

23 1920s Era hand crank gas pump.

24 1930s Shell Visible hand crank gas pump.

25 1930s Brothers Roy and Lee Sauer stand by the tiny gas station they helped start up with their father, J.M. Sauer.

26 1930s Detroit “Smallest Gas Station in the World”. 1934 was the year that the computer meter was developed by the Wayne Pump Company.

27 1930s Log Cabin Inn, Cold Brook, NY. With this invention was the departure from the traditional clock-face style replaced instead by a more digital form.

28 1938 Dennie’s Corner, IN. At one location, you could fill up your tank, get a loan to look prosperous with a new suit, and have a meal while your spark plugs are changed.

29 1939 Super Shell gas station pump. Gallons and prices were displayed directly on the face and this caught on quickly.

30 1939 Tydol Gas at 24 cents a gallon with taxes. By the late 30’s, all companies used the computer meter. This was the beginning of the Art Deco period, which embraces the machine aesthetic.

31 1940s Esso Station with female attendant due to men at the war. Gas pumps in this era were geometric in shape and featured stepped and vibrant patterns with stainless steel.

32 1940s Gulf Service Station filling up a Desoto. As the auto industry continued to flourish, gas stations underwent significant changes in the 1940s.

33 1940s Victory Girls servicing a customer. The influence of modernization and streamlined design became evident, with the emergence of more recognizable gas station motifs.

34 1940s Female gas attendant in Wash DC. Art Deco elements, vibrant signage, and eye-catching canopies adorned the stations, reflecting the spirit of innovation and progress.

35 1940s Shell Gas Station. The majority of stations are built with most of the fueling installations underground, pump machines in the forecourt, and a point of service inside.

36 1940s Gas attendant. Fuel is usually offloaded from a tanker truck into each tank by gravity through a separate capped opening located on the station’s perimeter.

37 1940s California gas station. Fuel from the tank’s travel to the dispenser pumps through underground pipes.

38 1942 Esso Gas Station in NC. Older stations tend to use a separate pipe for every kind of available fuel and for every dispenser.

39 1942 Gas station in Idaho for Farmers at 17.5 cents gallon. Newer stations may employ a single pipe for every dispenser.

40 1942 Nebraska Texaco gas station pumps. This pipe houses a number of smaller pipes for the individual fuel types.

41 1947 California Gas Station. In the past, filling stations in the United States offered a choice between full service and self-service.

42 1948 Gilmore Oil’s Gas-A-Teria. One of the First Self-Serve Gas Stations in LA, CA. The Gas-A-Teria was a massive gas station complex featuring eight islands with three pumps per island. The self-serve gas saved the customer five cents per gallon and the attendants at the station were young women.

43 1948 Gas-A-Teria self-serve. LA, CA. The concept of drivers pumping their own gas was unknown until Gilmore Oil opened their self-serve gas station near Farmer’s Market at the corner of Third St and Fairfax Ave LA, CA in 1948. LIFE magazine ran a tribute story on them.

44 1948 Gas-A-Teria Self-Serve Gas Station in Los Angeles, CA. LIFE magazine did a large photo op article on this gas station in October 1948.

45 1948 Gilmore Oil’s Gas-A-Teria. Colorized photo of one of the First Self-Serve Gas Stations in Los Angeles. CA.

46 1948 One of the First Self-Serve Gas Stations in Los Angeles, CA. The attraction of the Gas-A-Teria was that the customer saved money by pumping his own gas. Attendants in training.

47 1949 Full-Service Gas station. Before 1970, full service was the norm, and self-service was rare.

48 1949 Texaco gas station. In Canada, the first self-service station opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba 1949. It was operated by the independent company Henderson Thriftway Petroleum.

49 1950s Esso service station. In NJ filling stations offer only full service. Attendants are required to pump gas for customers. Customers are prohibited by law from pumping gas.

50 1950s Esso gas station. The only things in common with today’s gas stations are restrooms and a small selection of gum, candy bars, crackers, and potato chips.

51 1950s Cities Service gas station Lehigh Acres, FL. Other than that, it was servicing your car and selling gasoline as the primary business plan.

52 1950s gas station. Notice the bug screen on the front of the car. This prevented the bugs from getting caught up in the radiator.

53 1950s Full-Service Gas Station. Stopping at a drive-in gas station was different from pulling over to fuel up.

54 1950s Gulf station, FL. It offered new retail opportunities to gas station owners. In addition to gas, the Gulf station also offered free air and water–and sold road maps. 1955 Ford being refueled.

55 1950s Since most stations offered the same level of service, it took different promotions to get you into their station and most important making sure you return.

56 1950s Texaco, Gulf, Esso gas station. The gas stations we encounter today bear little resemblance to their early counterparts from the 1920s and 1940s. 1950 Ford convertible being refueled.

57 1950s Ashland gas station. Once the Second World War ended, cars got lower and therefore it became an obstacle trying to view meters from the car’s new lower perspective.

58 Evolution of the gas pump 1885 to 1950.

59 1950s Shell gas station. New, shorter gasoline pumps were designed, which were called low-profile pumps.

60 1950s Standard Oil gas station, Fibre, MI. Drive-in gas stations weren’t just about fuel. They helped create an American driving culture.

61 1950s Sinclair station in FL. These pumps featured rounded edges, stainless steel trim, large meter faces, and simpler details than what was seen in the Art Deco designs of the 30's.

62 1950s Sunoco Gas Station in Mass. Continuing into the 1950’s the trend continued to move away from rounder edges and the stainless-steel pump was popular.

63 1950s Texaco gas station in Miami FL. The pumps were shorter, squarer in shape, and featured stainless-steel surfaces.

64 1951 Standard Oil gas station in LA, CA. The top part of the pump was often larger, sitting atop a narrower, tapered base.

65 1953 Sunoco gas station in Columbus, Ohio. The units were often set up adjacent to one another in long rows, providing different types of fuel and services.

66 1953 Sunoco gas station in Columbus, Ohio buried in a lot of snow.

67 1957 Shell gas station with a nice new Buick and family out for a drive in their convertible.

68 1958 Humble gas station in Texas. Nice ‘58 Chevy station wagon filling up with gas.

69 1950s Mobil gas station in Onalaska, Wisconsin.

70 1959 Ford Galaxie at a Phillips 66 Gas Station gassing up.

71 1960s gas station and full serve repair garage.

72 1960s Humble gas station with three bays. ’59 Olds gassing up.

73 1960s Texaco gas station and store. ’60 Pontiac gassing up.

74 1960s Mobil gas station. The cost of full service is usually assessed as a fixed amount per US gallon. ’63 Corvette Split Window Coupe gassing up.

75 1960s Texaco gas station. The old-time gas station was a real service center offering specialized auto repair, tires, oil, batteries and more.

76 1960s Texaco self-service gas station. Today, few stations advertise or provide full service.

77 1961 Full-Service gas station, Kansas. Full-service stations are more common in wealthy and upscale areas.

78 1962 Humble gas station. These gas stations were mostly eateries with a grocery store attached.

79 1970's Exxon Gas Station in AK.

80 1980's Texaco Self-Service Gas Station.

81 1990s Highway gas station in the depths of Arizona.

82 2000's Shell gas station. In the 2000s, the U.S. saw a boom in the construction of giant gas stations.

83 2024 Modern Gas Service Station with many pumps and well lit. Today there are 152,995 gas stations and 123,289 convenience stores. On average, each location sells about 4,000 gallons of fuel per day.

84 2024 Gas Station Specialty food and retail. It's quite a jump from the 30 gallons sold per day at a Gulf station over 100 years ago in Pittsburgh, PA back in 1913.