This marvelous photo history transports readers back to the days before pay-at-the-pump, when the price of a fill-up bought more than just a spot of petrol. Pop culture aficionado Witzel examines all aspects of bygone gas stations, from the advent of the automobile and globe-topped pumps to the 1970s and long lines brought about by the oil embargo. 280 photos, half in color.
Cool and dark, filling stations invariably smelled of grease and strong coffee. An attendant whose name was embroidered on a patch above his shirt pocket greeted motorists who pulled up to 6the pumps barking the classic line, "Fill 'er up!" Around back, the restrooms were clean - but not too clean - and somewhere near the door was a soda machine full of glass bottles
Step back to the day when a visit to the gas station meant service with a smile, a wash of the windshield, and the cheerful question, "Fill 'er up?" Since their unremarkable beginnings as cheap shacks and curbside pumps at the dawn of the automobile age, gas stations have taken many forms and worn many guises: castles, cottages and teepees, Art Deco and Streamline Moderne, clad with wood, stucco, or gleaming porcelain in seemingly infinite variety. The companion volume to the Wisconsin Public Television documentary of the same name, Fill 'er Up: The Glory Days of Wisconsin Gas Stations visits 60 Wisconsin gas stations that are still standing today and chronicles the history of these humble yet ubiquitous buildings. The book tells the larger story of the gas station's place in automobile culture and its evolution in tandem with American history, as well as the stories of the individuals influenced by the gas stations in their lives. Fill 'er Up provides a glimpse into the glory days of gas stations, when full service and free oil changes were the rule and the local station was a gathering place for neighbors. More importantly, Fill 'er Up links the past and the present, showing why gas stations should be preserved and envisioning what place these historic structures can have in the 21st century and beyond.
In this car culture of ours, what could be more American than the gas station, from the roadside pit stop in the middle of nowhere to the spit-and-polish, full service city shop? This brightly illustrated history of service stations runs the gamut from East to West, North to South, spotlighting the culture and lore of the gas-pumping garage that has kept the United States moving for a century. Whether it's the last-chance Texaco or the Sinclair dinosaur winking in the distance, the beckoning Shell, or the winged Mobil horse, it's here in all its small-town glory of compact architecture, inspired promotions, art deco pumps, and endless views of the American horizon. Author Tim Russell, one of the world's foremost collectors and historians of Petroliana, rolls out the ribbon of highway that takes us to all of those way stations of Americas motoring past.
Discover another side of the Hawkeye State with this illustrated volume of fascinating facts, historical oddities, curious tales, and more. Amazing Iowa offers a rare glimpse into the unusual events and peculiar people hiding within the pages of Iowa’s history. Inside you’ll learn about everything from Jesse James’s first train robbery to the longest beard known to man, not to mention the secret behind the world’s best Iowa pork chop marinade. With stories, trivia, photographs, recipes, song lyrics and more, this volume is a treasure trove of Iowa curios. Within these pages, you’ll find: Eddie Rickenbacker, who raced cars with a bat’s heart tied to his middle finger. Lyrics of the “Iowa Corn Song”. Heroes of the past (TV’s first Superman was born in Iowa). Heroes of the future (Captain James T. Kirk will be born in Iowa). Ellen Church of Cresco, the first airline stewardess in the country.
