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- "A Letter from Mr. Bowser," S.F. Bowser & Company, Fort Wayne, Indiana, circa 1916 -
- circa 1916
- Collections - Artifact
"A Letter from Mr. Bowser," S.F. Bowser & Company, Fort Wayne, Indiana, circa 1916
- Outdoor Gasoline Lamp, circa 1900 -
- circa 1900
- Collections - Artifact
Outdoor Gasoline Lamp, circa 1900
- 1939 Dodge Airflow Tank Truck - This streamlined tank truck connected local Texaco service stations to a larger national distribution network. Each of America's competing oil companies had a branded fleet of trucks that took gasoline from refineries to its retail service stations. Even independently operated stations had to buy gasoline from a big oil company's refinery. This truck's capacity is 1175 gallons.
- 1938
- Collections - Artifact
1939 Dodge Airflow Tank Truck
This streamlined tank truck connected local Texaco service stations to a larger national distribution network. Each of America's competing oil companies had a branded fleet of trucks that took gasoline from refineries to its retail service stations. Even independently operated stations had to buy gasoline from a big oil company's refinery. This truck's capacity is 1175 gallons.
- Engineer Charles Vaughn in Plymouth Locomotive at Mistersky Power Plant, West Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1930 - Engineer Charles Vaughn shuttles carloads of coal at Detroit's Mistersky Power Plant around 1930. The gasoline-powered Plymouth locomotive did not require the coal and water used by steam engines, and it could be operated by one person. The locomotive's light weight and simple operation made it ideal for small industrial railroads. This engine joined The Henry Ford's collection in 1979.
- circa 1930
- Collections - Artifact
Engineer Charles Vaughn in Plymouth Locomotive at Mistersky Power Plant, West Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1930
Engineer Charles Vaughn shuttles carloads of coal at Detroit's Mistersky Power Plant around 1930. The gasoline-powered Plymouth locomotive did not require the coal and water used by steam engines, and it could be operated by one person. The locomotive's light weight and simple operation made it ideal for small industrial railroads. This engine joined The Henry Ford's collection in 1979.
- Mobil Gas Pump, 1946-1960 - By the 1940s, "computing" pumps like this automatically calculated the amount of gasoline and the price. This type of pump did away with the price charts used by service station attendants. Mobil formed from a merger of Socony and Vacuum Oil in 1931 -- both with extensive networks of gas stations. Mobil began using Vacuum's flying red horse logo system-wide in 1934.
- 1946-1960
- Collections - Artifact
Mobil Gas Pump, 1946-1960
By the 1940s, "computing" pumps like this automatically calculated the amount of gasoline and the price. This type of pump did away with the price charts used by service station attendants. Mobil formed from a merger of Socony and Vacuum Oil in 1931 -- both with extensive networks of gas stations. Mobil began using Vacuum's flying red horse logo system-wide in 1934.
- "Shell Regular" Gasoline Pump Globe, 1948-1959 - Illuminated globes first appeared atop American gasoline pumps in 1912. They evolved over time from simple ball or pill shapes to more elaborate sculptures. Royal Dutch Shell Group used globes in the shape of the company's distinctive pecten shell logo. These globes not only attracted customers, they also provided light for pump attendants working at night.
- 1948-1959
- Collections - Artifact
"Shell Regular" Gasoline Pump Globe, 1948-1959
Illuminated globes first appeared atop American gasoline pumps in 1912. They evolved over time from simple ball or pill shapes to more elaborate sculptures. Royal Dutch Shell Group used globes in the shape of the company's distinctive pecten shell logo. These globes not only attracted customers, they also provided light for pump attendants working at night.
- Henry Ford's 1893 "Kitchen Sink" Gasoline Engine, Photographed in 1935 - Henry Ford built his first experimental engine using scrap metal for parts. He tested it on the kitchen sink after supper on December 24, 1893. For ignition he ran a wire from the ceiling's light bulb. His wife Clara hand-fed gasoline to the intake valve while Henry spun the flywheel. The engine roared into action, shaking the sink.
- April 18, 1935
- Collections - Artifact
Henry Ford's 1893 "Kitchen Sink" Gasoline Engine, Photographed in 1935
Henry Ford built his first experimental engine using scrap metal for parts. He tested it on the kitchen sink after supper on December 24, 1893. For ignition he ran a wire from the ceiling's light bulb. His wife Clara hand-fed gasoline to the intake valve while Henry spun the flywheel. The engine roared into action, shaking the sink.
- "Treasure Island Itself - The Selling Equipment for Filling Stations," 1925 - This "Treasure Island" isn't from Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate tale. By 1920, gasoline retailers determined that placing gas pumps on an "island" in front of the station, where drivers could approach from either side, was more efficient than mounting them on the station's wall. This equipment trade catalog features everything from air pumps to underground storage tanks.
- 1925
- Collections - Artifact
"Treasure Island Itself - The Selling Equipment for Filling Stations," 1925
This "Treasure Island" isn't from Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate tale. By 1920, gasoline retailers determined that placing gas pumps on an "island" in front of the station, where drivers could approach from either side, was more efficient than mounting them on the station's wall. This equipment trade catalog features everything from air pumps to underground storage tanks.
- Mack Tank Truck at Lehigh Valley Oil Co. Station, March 1934 - Founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1900, Mack Brothers Company relocated to Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1905 and adopted the name Mack Trucks in 1922. Mack-built tank trucks like this had separate compartments for gasoline, diesel fuel, lubricants, and other oil and petroleum products. The delivery trucks transported these products from distributors to gas stations.
- March 01, 1934
- Collections - Artifact
Mack Tank Truck at Lehigh Valley Oil Co. Station, March 1934
Founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1900, Mack Brothers Company relocated to Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1905 and adopted the name Mack Trucks in 1922. Mack-built tank trucks like this had separate compartments for gasoline, diesel fuel, lubricants, and other oil and petroleum products. The delivery trucks transported these products from distributors to gas stations.
- Automobile Gas Port Reamer, 1975 - In the 1970s, clear air regulations required a phasing out of leaded gasoline. New vehicles had smaller fuel tank holes designed to accept unleaded gas nozzles. Drivers who disliked unleaded gas could enlarge the fuel tank hole with a tool like this, which would allow the leaded gas pumps' larger nozzles to fit.
- 1975
- Collections - Artifact
Automobile Gas Port Reamer, 1975
In the 1970s, clear air regulations required a phasing out of leaded gasoline. New vehicles had smaller fuel tank holes designed to accept unleaded gas nozzles. Drivers who disliked unleaded gas could enlarge the fuel tank hole with a tool like this, which would allow the leaded gas pumps' larger nozzles to fit.