Always full service back then
December 29, 2011 (Thursday)
A friend sent me this picture of an old gasoline station. Looks like it was made during the 1930’s. It appears to be a store as well.
Have you ever seen one of these places up close and real? Have your years of experience included a sight like this? Are you old enough to know what the things in this picture are and how they used to work?
This is an interesting picture in several ways. Notice the stones placed under the house to hold it up off the ground. Evidently this was before the days of concrete blocks and much cheaper than pouring concrete pedestals. And look up above the porch. What are all those doors for? That appears to be a hayloft. You could open the doors and deliver the hay or other merchandise over the roof into a truck or wagon. What is that thing with the hose attached on the right? That’s a kerosene pump. People used to use a lot of “coal-oil” for lamps and other purposes around the farm, ranch, or house. Most of the pumps I saw back then were hand operated. This one appears to be at least semi-automatic and connected to a barrell located elsewhere on the premises. Take a look at the gasoline pump on the left. Up at the top is a glass reservoir for the gasoline pumped by hand from tanks in the ground. The pump handle can be see at the bottom part of the pump. It comes from the other side, so the base of the handle is hidden from view. The glass is marked so that the user knows how much has been put into the car, fed by gravity through the hose. Many times I went with my father to such a place, listened as the man at the pump exchanged pleasantries with my dad, whom he knew by his first name, and who usually got 5 gallons, for about $1.25.
Look at all the signs. Of course, good old Coca Cola has been around forever. Look at the cigarette signs and the snuff ads. Times have changed and you don’t see those tobacco ads nowadays. And don’t forget to take a look at the chairs on the front porch, placed there for the many folks who come by to “set a spell” and visit.
Ah, those were the days. This picture just almost yells at us: RELAX. Take it easy. What’s your hurry? Sit down and stay awhile.
Have you ever seen one of these places up close and real? Have your years of experience included a sight like this? Are you old enough to know what the things in this picture are and how they used to work?
This is an interesting picture in several ways. Notice the stones placed under the house to hold it up off the ground. Evidently this was before the days of concrete blocks and much cheaper than pouring concrete pedestals. And look up above the porch. What are all those doors for? That appears to be a hayloft. You could open the doors and deliver the hay or other merchandise over the roof into a truck or wagon. What is that thing with the hose attached on the right? That’s a kerosene pump. People used to use a lot of “coal-oil” for lamps and other purposes around the farm, ranch, or house. Most of the pumps I saw back then were hand operated. This one appears to be at least semi-automatic and connected to a barrell located elsewhere on the premises. Take a look at the gasoline pump on the left. Up at the top is a glass reservoir for the gasoline pumped by hand from tanks in the ground. The pump handle can be see at the bottom part of the pump. It comes from the other side, so the base of the handle is hidden from view. The glass is marked so that the user knows how much has been put into the car, fed by gravity through the hose. Many times I went with my father to such a place, listened as the man at the pump exchanged pleasantries with my dad, whom he knew by his first name, and who usually got 5 gallons, for about $1.25.
Look at all the signs. Of course, good old Coca Cola has been around forever. Look at the cigarette signs and the snuff ads. Times have changed and you don’t see those tobacco ads nowadays. And don’t forget to take a look at the chairs on the front porch, placed there for the many folks who come by to “set a spell” and visit.
Ah, those were the days. This picture just almost yells at us: RELAX. Take it easy. What’s your hurry? Sit down and stay awhile.
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