Gasoline Stations

This is a collection showcasing old and deserted gas stations across the United States.

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Abandoned gasoline stations in the United States are relics of a rapidly evolving oil industry. These stations, often originating from major oil companies, showcase the country’s dynamic history of petroleum distribution. Once bustling hubs, these abandoned stations now stand as symbols of the changing landscapes of the oil and automotive industries, often bearing the aesthetic and architectural styles of the eras in which they were built.

Ashland

Ashland gasoline stations originated from Ashland Oil & Refining Company, a modest enterprise that started in Catlettsburg, Kentucky. Established by Paul Blazer in 1924, the company diversified its operations over time, expanding into road paving and construction, coal, oil exploration, and producing and distributing motor oils through Valvoline and chemical manufacture and distribution. In the late 1990s, Ashland entered into a joint venture with Marathon Oil, which led to its eventual exit from the oil refining and marketing business in 2005.

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Gulf

Gulf Oil was an independent oil company from 1901 until 1984, when it merged with Standard Oil of California. Following the merger, Gulf service stations in the United States were rebranded as Chevron. However, the Gulf brand experienced a revival after a partnership formed in 1993 acquired the naming rights to Gulf Oil from Chevron in 1986. This complex partnership led to the reintroduction of the Gulf brand in the market.

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Quaker State

Historically associated with the Quaker State brand, known primarily for its motor oil and automotive products, Quaker State gasoline stations have played a role in America’s automotive culture. Quaker State, founded in 1913 in Oil City, Pennsylvania, quickly established itself as a reputable brand in the automotive lubricant industry. While the brand is more commonly associated with its high-quality motor oils and lubricants, the presence of Quaker State-branded gasoline stations, particularly in the mid-20th century, symbolized the company’s broader engagement with the automotive sector.

Over the years, as the oil industry consolidated and the retail landscape evolved, the presence of Quaker State-branded gasoline stations diminished. The company’s focus shifted more towards its core product lines of motor oils and lubricants. Today, Quaker State is a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company, continuing its legacy in the automotive lubricant industry. Though its branded gasoline stations are less common, this reflects broader trends in the petroleum retail sector.

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Shell

In 1907, Shell was formed through the merger of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company from the Netherlands and the Shell Transport and Trading Company from the United Kingdom. This union positioned Shell as a significant competitor to the American Standard Oil Company. By 1920, Shell had risen to become the world’s largest oil producer. It was also part of the “Seven Sisters,” a collective of major companies dominating the global petroleum industry from the mid-1940s until the mid-1970s. Today, Shell operates a vast network of over 40,000 gasoline stations and oil refineries and engages in a wide range of business activities across various product and market sectors.

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Whiting Brothers

Whiting Brothers was a chain of gasoline stations founded in 1926 and based in St. Johns and Holbrook, Arizona. ¹ At its peak, the company operated more than one hundred filling stations—at least forty of which were located along U.S. Route 66, as well as fifteen motels ² and several truck stops. ³ The business operated under the slogan “Quality Gas for Less.” ⁴

The chain’s origins were rooted in the Whiting family’s earlier ventures in lumber. ⁶ The father of the four founding brothers owned a lumberyard, allowing the family to construct small, inexpensive service stations using their own materials. The first station was built on the National Old Trails Highway in St. Johns. When that route was bypassed by the newly designated Route 66 in 1926, the brothers opened their first Route 66 station in nearby Holbrook. ⁷ Construction continued through the Great Depression, fueled by the westward migration of Dust Bowl refugees from Oklahoma and Texas.

Whiting Brothers stations were typically modest in size, with one or two pumps and a six-foot roadside sign. They offered lower fuel prices than the major chains, did not extend credit, and provided discount cards that reduced the cost of a gallon by an additional cent or two. The company also distributed trading stamps redeemable for merchandise or savings and gave away free ice with summer fuel purchases. ⁸

Station operators were housed on-site and paid commissions on fuel sales. Profits were reinvested into further expansion, with stations and motels built along major U.S. highways, usually on inexpensive land at the edge of town. ⁹ The Whiting family promoted its broader business legacy, dating to 1917, which included ventures in lumber, steel, gasoline, cattle, and real estate. During World War II, the company entered the Northern Arizona logging industry. ¹⁰ Executives regularly traveled the highways to maintain oversight of station operations. ¹¹

In later years, the company expanded westward into Mojave, Lenwood, and Barstow, California, and eastward to Shamrock, Texas. ¹¹ However, by the 1970s, the rise of the Interstate highway system and national fuel shortages led to a sharp decline in business. Stations in profitable areas were sold off individually during the 1980s, while many others were abandoned altogether as traffic bypassed the old U.S. routes.

A number of these vacant stations, with original red-on-yellow signage, still stand in various states of decay along bypassed stretches of Route 66. One of the last active sites to retain its original branding was Sal & Inez’s Service Station in Moriarty, New Mexico, purchased in 1985. ^{12 13} Restoration of two historic signs at that location, supported by the National Park Service’s Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, culminated with the re-lighting of the first sign in December 2014. ⁵

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Other

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Sources

1. “Whiting Brothers Service Stations and Motels on Route 66.” Legends of America, p. 19.
2. Sonderman, Joe. Route 66 in Arizona. Arcadia Publishing, 6 Oct. 2010, p. 19.
3. “Whiting Brothers Gasoline Stations.”
4. Udall, Cameron. St. Johns. Arcadia Publishing, 23 July 2008, p. 112.
5. “One Whiting Bros. Sign Relighted.” Route 66 News, 10 Dec. 2014.
6. Scott, Quinta. Along Route 66. University of Oklahoma Press, 1 Dec. 2001, p. 8.
7. Scott, Quinta. Along Route 66. University of Oklahoma Press, 1 Dec. 2001, p. 159.
8. McClanahan, Jerry. “Gas For Less (Whiting Bros).” Route 66 Magazine, Fall 1998.
9. Scott, Quinta, and Susan Croce Kelly. Route 66: The Highway and Its People. University of Oklahoma Press, 15 Sept. 1990, p. 55.
10. “E. Jay Whiting (Obituary).” Payson Roundup, 23 Oct. 2000.
11. Grossman, Louis H., and Marianne Jennings. Building a Business Through Good Times and Bad: Lessons from 15 Companies, Each with a Century of Dividends. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, p. 232.
12. Sonderman, Joe. Route 66 in New Mexico. Arcadia Publishing, 3 Feb. 2010, p. 47.
13. Menicutch, Tim. “Route 66 Gas Station Offers Full Service the Old-Fashioned Way.” Albuquerque Journal, 10 July 2003.