Finishing up the Sinclair and this opportunity popped up- just across the street! This one is a 1930-something (trying to confirm) Texaco with an outbuilding office. Had the trees growing out from under it removed a couple of weeks ago, and now that the weather has cooled off I've started cleaning it out. I'm going to try and take the outside back down to the porcelain panels, and I've already found some of the old letters from the outside in the attic space- so I hope I can find the rest. The gentleman I purchased it from worked there as a teenager- it was his Dad's station. So here's a few photos to get started, along with an old 1970's photo of the station in it's glory days....

In the old days

New roofs went on both buildings last week. Patched the underlayment and added new decking all around.

The station has been closed for over 40 years. I'm taking my time cleaning out the buildings because there is no telling what's in them. Yesterday I was cleaning out a desk full of chewed-up rat's nest papers from 1960-1980 and ran across a condom box at the back of the drawer that was stuffed completely full of rat chewings and crap. The box was loaded with silver coins and a slew of pre-64 nickels. Nice.

Is that a water fountain out of the side of that Coke machine?

Should be really cool when you get it finished.

Yes it is a water fountain. Not sure what the outcome will be for the machines. The drink machine still has a bottle or two in it...

Can't wait.

Cool project #2 looks like she has good bones and great history. Kudo's to you for taking these on and bringing them back to a useful life

The nickels have no intrinsic value, but those quarters and Franklin half-dollars are 90%, I believe. The dimes too.

What an undertaking. Very cool building and I hope it treats you well!

I started working in a station exactly like this when I was 7 years old on the old Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas. What fantastic memories.

That was before self-serve was created.

A car would pull in, the drive bell would ring. We'd hustle out and the typical dialogue and routine was:

May I help you?

Yes, fill it up.

Regular or Ethyl?

Texaco's brand name for regular was Fire Chief, which was 97 octane if I remember correctly, but could be off on that.

Sky Chief was the "ethyl" or also called "extra" or "high test" gas, so named because it had extra tetraethyl lead added to increase octane to 103.

The red side of the pump was Fire Chief and the gold side was Sky Chief.

The muscle cars with the big engines all used ethyl. There were plenty of those big engines taking advantage of the long flat roads in the Panhandle too.

Once the nozzle was put in the tank and pumping, then it was time to wash the windshield, check the oil and tires.

Washing the windshield was done with a scrubber on a stick like some stations still have, but finished with a wet chamois put through a washing machine wringer.

A good windshield cleaning would earn a tip, typically a dime, a quarter was a big tip.

Finding the tank cap could be a trick on some cars back then. Most were under the license plate, but some older models had fold out tail lights with the gas cap under the light assembly.

Cars typically would burn a quart of oil every 500 - 1000 miles back then.

Havoline was the Texaco brand oil. Adding a pint of STP was pretty routine and really did seem to increase engine life on those old engines.

Richard Petty, still the greatest stock car driver ever, used STP, so it must have been good.

The cotton farmers would come in once a year for an oil change. The oil filters would feel like they were welded on after a year in a cotton field.

Standard procedure was to hammer a long screwdriver through the filter to break it loose.

As the youngest and newest guy on the job, my job was to check and clean restrooms regularly.

Let me just say, there are some truly disgusting human beings walking this planet.

Across the highway was an old Ford dealer who had a small fleet of Edsels he never could unload.

When I started in the 60's, regular was $0.19/gallon and ethyl was $0.21/gallon. By the time I moved on during the days of Jimmy Carter, it was up to a $1.30 or so and self-serve and the interstate built to go around town put the full service stations on the old Route 66 out of business.

Good luck with your project! I look forward to seeing the finished result.

Yeah I looked online and the nickels weren’t anything special. There are some Indian head nickels and Mercury dimes in the mix. I’m working on an inventory list….

My hometown....kinda.....I grew up 17 miles south of there.

Like you, my first job was at one that looked just like this one in Marshall, Tx on Highway 80 when I was 15. We gave out Green Stamps back then. Good memories.
I will be looking forward as you bring this building back to life.

I miss the Good Ol Days.

'67 Chevelle in the pic...

We have a fully restored Gulf station and right across the street is another station that needs restoration. It was a restaurant a decade ago but has been abandoned since.

Worked at a full service Texaco station summer of ‘77in Houston. And a bunch of time working nights, it was quite the experience.

What a challenge, after seeing how the Sinclair turned out. Really interesting to see how the Texaco comes back to life. Do keep us posted on progress!

Awesome!! Can't wait to see how this one turns out! Thankful you are investing in the restoration of our community!