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Gas Stop on the Way Home


Sam Buchanan

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You know how it is....gotta fill the tank with That Good Gulf Gasoline on the way back to the house.......price was only 19 cents/gallon......

 

 

gulf-station-1-small.jpg.b86aabcb0f9dbbea59acba62e875df41.jpg

 

 

The back story----several years ago the historical buffs in our town decided to save one of the oldest gas stations in the state of Alabama instead of seeing it demolished. It has been restored and is a favorite site for old car photos.

Edited by Sam Buchanan
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glad to see and hear that some people in the local govt had the fore sight to save the old gas station. In todays society they want to tear down everything that is old.

 

Keep pressure on the local govt to maintain the site, history is important.

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

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Dad used to stop every Friday at the local Richfield Station after grocery shopping.  Got two dollars worth of regular, mom got her green stamps, a water glass, a discount coupon for the local drive in movie. 8 gallons or so took care of his commuting and a Sunday ride in the country. I do recall one Friday we were going to go to Buffalo for a wedding that Saturday.  He told the attendant to fill it with hi test, the guy asked Dad if he was sure, twice, before he started the pump!  The building is still there and being used as a computer, cell phone repair shop.

 

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18 minutes ago, keithb7 said:

That old restored gas station is awesome! Who financed the restoration? Who pays for it’s upkeep and annual costs? 

 

I don't recall the particulars but I suspect there was some state historical grant money involved. Upkeep is by our local city employees. Our town is big on historical districts, lots of interest in this sort of thing. We still have a for-real downtown square with a 1900 courthouse that is the site of several events and a couple of big car shows.

 

Here is another shot showing the entire building:

 

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gulf-station-3.jpg.0a33319caa6a3bd8ee531e3ae3eada32.jpg

Edited by Sam Buchanan
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One of the things I ponder every so often is the history that an object like a car has seen.

My 1952 Suburban was built during the Korean war and it’s chrome plating suffered for it.

The metal in the fenders is thinner than my 1949. In the time that passed since there has been momentous technological change.

America of 1952 is not the same place as America of 2019, nor are the people the same.

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren can talk openly about being Socialists where as in 1952 that conversation would have occurred in hushed whispers listened to by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI.

The cars go on with a certain immortally, being passed from one generation to another.

You begin to realize you don’t own your car, you merely have stewardship of it.

If you are a good steward it will last much longer than you can even imagine.

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1 hour ago, Loren said:

One of the things I ponder every so often is the history that an object like a car has seen.

My 1952 Suburban was built during the Korean war and it’s chrome plating suffered for it.

The metal in the fenders is thinner than my 1949. In the time that passed since there has been momentous technological change.

America of 1952 is not the same place as America of 2019, nor are the people the same.

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren can talk openly about being Socialists where as in 1952 that conversation would have occurred in hushed whispers listened to by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI.

The cars go on with a certain immortally, being passed from one generation to another.

You begin to realize you don’t own your car, you merely have stewardship of it.

If you are a good steward it will last much longer than you can even imagine.

 

I have thought about this with my '49 P18 too. Being it saw so few miles in the past 30 years mine had to have spent much of its time in storage which is kind of sad to me. I've enjoyed having it out on the road quite a bit since I got it road worthy this summer. Someone commented to me over the weekend how they enjoy the fact that I actually drive the car. (He has a '51 Buick) My response was something like "if we don't drive them, then what's the point?!" It is better for the cars mechanically and physically for them to be driven! Obviously the proper maintenance and discretion is warranted. The main thing is that we enjoy them while we have them right?!

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