I was born in 1966 and grew up in a small town (population 3000) in the Texas panhandle that had a Conoco station. It was family-owned and operated. They continued offering full service into the 1990s. I can remember going there with my dad to get the car serviced, watching the attendant use the old clothes wringer on the chamois he used to clean the windows, getting a Frostie root beer from the pop machine (glass bottles at 25 cents), and dad getting a pack of Belair Kings out of the cigarette machine (50 cents a pack). They would add a quart of oil (Quaker State) from the cardboard can you used a punch-in spout to pour from. Once I got my 10-speed bike, I would go up there to get my tire patched when I had a flat. Never charged me for it. When I got my first car (1960 Ford Falcon sedan), that is the only place I went to get gas (when they still had regular leaded gasoline). Watched gasoline go from 39 cents a gallon to $1.29 a gallon. Mom and Dad called it highway robbery. It is a downright shame these places don't exist anymore. We have become a society of instant gratification seekers. We don't have time to wait while someone services our vehicle because we are in such an all-fired hurry to go to work, go home, go to the grocery store, go to the restaurant, go anywhere, but we don't have time to stop and have our car serviced and engage in a little friendly conversation.

Worked at a Standard Oil Station in the early 70's. One of my life's lessons... These truly were Full Service Stations. Elderly people would bring their license plates in. They were regular customers, we would put them on for free. One old guy, very well to do, but also a great guy, tried to tip me. I said, oh, thanks but no, just doin' my job. He gave me allot of free advice, but this time he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "kid, when someone bothers to give you money for something you did for them, you take it. You might think you are just doin' your job, but they obviously think you're doing more than that. If you refuse their tip, you are insulting them, taking away their ability to show their appreciation. Take the money." I took the tip, and I pass the advice on to this day. Man, those were great times! P.S. When a kid initially refuses my tip, I know he/she was raised right.

I wish I had a time machine to travel back to that era , then break the time machine and stay there for the rest of my life

I always remember riding into a Texaco with my dad and he'd say "fill-er up". I always liked to get a state road map too...My dad lived from 1934-2020 and always believed that he saw the best years that this country ever experienced. I am a firm believer in the fact that he was absolutely correct!! I am 66 years old..born 1955.

With the way things are nowadays, I sure wish I had a time machine. I grew up during those times and I really miss them. Kids these days have no idea what they missed. Thanks for the memories.

Yep they cleaned your windshield, pumped your gas, checked your tires and oil. And those old Coke machines kept bottles so cold. Great memories. Thanks.

Was the greatest time to be alive born in 54 I remember when the world looked like these pictures and what great cars. I forgot about the bell that would ring when you ran the hose over. Even worked in a couple growing up.what great memories these flashbacks bring

I was born in 1949, so I got to live in the best times, ever. The 70’s were good too, I’d go back in a heartbeat if I could! 🥰

I worked some of these gas stations while in high school. We gave away everything from dishes, cups, glasses, Coca Cola, S&H Green Stamps and Blue Chip Stamps. A really good time in life. Too bad it went away.

Back when life was simple and family mattered,I remember when you’d pull up to a full service station and the attendant would have his keys on a retractable cable on his belt and would open the cashbox that was on the end of the island.

As a child in the 60's I caught the end of this era...That short window between the end of Korea and the beginning of Nam was an amazing era in America...Station wagons, Drive in movies, Sock hops, CYO sports, baseball on the radio...It wasn't a perfect time but it was a fun one...

Beautiful picture, children dressed very nicely, men dressed like men, good manners still existed.

My father had a Texaco station in Tennessee back in the late 1950’s, early 1960’s. It was a great time to visit dad at work for a young kid.

Locating one of these old stations in towns across America is one of my favorite pastimes. You won't see them on the Interstates, but drive the US highways and "Old/Historic Route" roads. Finding one that's still operating is a real thrill - this is Americana at its very best.

In the 50s,my late father owned a Gulf gas station and auto repair shop in Jensen Beach, Florida.

Who remembers stacking up 76 Union orange balls on the antenna to the top?

I grew up then and it was better back then in this country. Actually, much better.

I remember those days as a kid traveling across the country with my mom and dad. My dad was in the military service so everytime he was transferred to a new military base, we got on the road. Was able to see the whole country that way. Life was simple and less chaotic. I wish I could leave the chaos of today behind and go back to those wonderful times.

With the world getting batshit crazier by the minute I truly enjoy videos like this that remind me of my childhood. "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star." I remember Dad bringing home Texaco Fire Chief hats for me and my brother from the station around the corner. I especially liked the pictures of Boron stations. There was a Boron near us with a two-bay garage run by a nice elderly gentleman. He would fix the flats on our bikes for free when I was a kid. I am ashamed to admit I forget his name. I know there was a lot of craziness in the 60s but it was a great time to be a kid. Thanks for posting.

I remember going to the Arco Gas Station close to my house with my dad. As soon as we pulled in Mr. Buddy would come out fill up my dads truck talk with him while cleaning the windows , checking the oil , air presssure and my pop would also buy us a ice cold pepsi. It was still sold in bottles and they were so cold as soon as he pop the cap off ice would form and it was the best tasting drink on a hot summer day. We always called him Mr. Bud and my dad always made sure we said thank you to him. It was the late 1960's and early 70's and things stayed this way up until the gas shortage in the late 70's and things changed. You never had to prepay the gas you filled up first then paid or the employees would pump the gas for you. They were always in uniform and every gas station also had bathrooms and a garage for repairs. My Dad always paid with his charge card that was not electronic and was just manually run and they gave you this see through receipt. It was the greatest time to be a kid then . I miss those days.

Checking the fluids, tire pressure and cleaning windows had a 2 fold purpose. Good service for the customer plus letting us check tire condition, wiper blades, and oil and coolant conditions for needed sales and replacement. It was known as TBA sales. Tires, Batteries, and accessories. And you would be surprised at the neglect of the average motorist regarding these things. There was no need to scam, it was there in abundance.

I worked pumping gas from 1967 to 1973 so I know more about it first hand than you'll ever know. '60's cars had "hidden" gas filler caps so I had to know where they were. I had to know HOW to open every car's hood (VERY few interior hood releases) and where the oil and transmission dipsticks were. I had to know where your battery was and how to check it and your radiator and your windshield washer reservoir and fill it. I checked your tires and brought you an ice-cold soft drink from our ice-salt water cooler at 28*F and your "Pop" would turn into a "shlushy" when I opened it! (2 cents deposit for the bottle please!) I was too young (under 21 in OK) to sell you cigarettes but I'd get my driveway manager to bring them and I'd light them with my Zippo.

If only gas stations and cars were like this today

Sometimes I question if all the "progress" in the last 50 years has been an actual improvement. Regrading data, it's _definitely_ an improvement; the ability to have the internet and virtually all of human history at your fingertips. But in almost every other respect, I'm not as sure. Back then we had full service everything, now we have self-service everything. Back then, it was a perfectly FINE job to work at a gas station or a grocery store-all work was admired.

In 1968 I had new VW Beetle. Filled up the gas tank for $5 and ran it for two weeks. Great times!

I started driving in the late 70s and just about everything was self-service by then. But I was born in the early 60s, so I do remember a lot of the things mentioned in the video -- especially the universal DING-DING! whenever you pulled into a gas station.

I was born in 1972. I watch this and smile and feel a sense of comfort. Some of those ole gas stations still remain sitting derelict. I drive by them and think about a bygone era.

Thats when kids were kids...road their bikes played ball played outside....🇺🇸

Loved it when the gas stations were full service..checked the oil,tires and. Cleaned the windshield...also put gas in the car.We always got a Coke or other snacks...

This is a great video! Brought back so many fond memories. It was great seeing all those old cars. To my eye, cars back then had great style and character along with great colors. Today's cars all look the same and are quite nondescript.

Around the block from our house there was a different full-service Gas Station at all 4 corners of a major intersection. Texaco, Marathon, Shell, and a Standard Oil. Anybody remember Gas Wars?

Back when everything looks better than it does now.

Outstanding!! Love this time period. I wish I lived back then. Perfect music for the video.

When I grew up in the 50s & 60s they were called “service stations because when you pulled up not only did they pump the gas for you they would wash the windshield, check your oil tire pressure, etc. Some offered bonuses like free glasses and other things.

In the Los Angeles/Glendale Burbank area I paid 21 cents a gallon for Shell gas. If you filled up, you got a free smoked glass drinking tumbler. That was around 1968. The expensive gas at other stations might be as high as 31 cents a gallon for ''Ethyl''. In 1971 my hot rod got 4 miles per gallon and 25-27 cents a gallon was what I normally paid. I cruised Van Nuys Blvd a lot back then.

This brings back so may memories of my childhood in the 60s and 70s - my dad's best friend and fishing buddy was Charlie, who owned and ran the local Esso station. Three bays, restrooms around back, nickle candy jars, (now) vintage candy/snack machines and 8 ounce sodas of any and every flavor. It was always humming with cars jockeyed in and out for repairs, tune ups, tires, oil changes, etc. I always remember when we would pull up in our Plymouth station wagon (midnight blue with the vinyl woodie panels) or my dad's Fury (he was a Mopar guy), "fill 'er up", the ding ding from the air hose stretching out from the service bay through both pump islands (each with three pumps) and the oppressive humidity or nippy cold air pouring through the windows. Charlie would always greet us by name and lean in the window, grinning and jostling us while handing each kid a piece of Bazooka bubble gum. Full service, of course, with a running patter of conversation, jokes and gossip. I always remember the smell of gas, oil and Windex (with a whiff of honest BO) and the cheery, social atmosphere. Charlie had a baby blue over white C1 Corvette that was always in a state of dis/repair and occasionally he would crank it up, shove all of the greasy rags and parts containers that filled the cockpit into the passenger's floorboard and take us kids for a hair raising spin around the block, Johnny Cash blaring on the am radio. It was a unique time to be alive and yes, automobiles were often the center of culture and social interaction. And me, 5 years old, in short pants and a blond crew cut, stuck in the way back seat in the station wagon, riding backwards and fighting car sickness and no AC or heat. You had to be there to understand it. It was the glorious age of autos and travel. This post brings it all back. Thank you - and the music is particularly good, by the way

I always will remember the Gulf Station my dad always brought his cars to.The mechanic was like family to us

Spent my first years in Bisbee AZ. So, when I was about four...so, mid 1960's.... (this is one of those earliest memory things) I recalled my dad worked at a Texaco station located on Highway 80 on top of the hill before it descends down to Bisbee proper. When I asked my mom about it she assured me I remembered correctly. He got a temporary job with that station during a strike (his "real" job was as a mechanic at the Lavender open pit mine in Bisbee) that he took to make ends meet. I remember the station being absolutely clean, orderly, well maintained, bright white with red accents, neatly stacked oil cans for sale, a maintenence/repair garage, and of course the obligatory and ubiquitous soda machines....the kinds with the narrow door opening to the glass bottled goodies inside. And none of that covers the full service you'd expect when you pulled up. Gas for the tank, windshields cleaned, oil and other fluid levels checked, all by the guy (my dad) working the shift. Different times.

Ahh, the memories, the sights, sounds and smells. The cleanliness and friendly service was always homey. What a loss.

We had a small gas station/grocery/hard ware store during the 50's, I remember we sold Mobil gas for 16 cents and Ethyl for 17 cents. Checked the oil, trans.fluid, brake fluid, pumped the gas, and cleaned the windshield. A dollar was a dollar back then. ABOUT TIME WE GOT AMERICA BACK TO THOSE DAYS AGAIN.

Everything looked better in the 50's to the 70's life was good and simple people were friendly and courteous and clean hardly see anyone dressed bad, we shop for grocery's on Saturday $20 you get 3 bags full of goods $5 fills up the tank of my car now you pay that just for one gallon but I tell you we still live in the Greatest country in the world, God bless America.🧡

I changed oil and filters, did lube jobs, changed coolant, did brake jobs 99.9% drum brakes and shoes, fixed flats (including patching TUBES!), replaced points and condensers, plugs and "wars", cleaned oil-bath air cleaners with spun aluminum elements you re-used, re-sealed leaking battery tops with a BIG heated iron, replaced wheel bearings and spindles. I didn't do exhausts or mufflers as I didn't weld, but we had a guy who did. Cheapest gas I ever pumped was 17.3 cents a gallon when they were selling off stocks of leaded regular in September of '75 with 10.5 cents State tax on it. I was part-timing then. We had gone from Hudson to Harbor to Champlin Oil in four years. I think the station closed in '76 thanks to Carter, along with 9 others close by.

These were good times. The people at the gas stations loved their jobs, and were eager to do them. I miss those days. Today, people try to stay insulated against "people to people" contact. Back then, folks were always ready to meet you, and treated you like a good friend afterward. Good times.

When I first started driving in 1968 Pasadena, they still had the ding, and a gas station attendant came running out in his white uniform. Not only did he fill the tank, wash the windshield, check oil and tires, but he brought the credit card holder to my window where I signed and he gave me the carbon copy.

Many service stations had clocks, and my mom would always have the kids check the time as we drove by. I loved getting Sinclair soap and toy dinos. I worked in a service station in high school, and the "ding ding" would put two attendants onto every car that came in - checking oil, tire pressure, washing windows. Even had the customer start their car so we could check the automatic transmission fluid after the fill-up.

I always liked to watch the three little marbles chase each other inside the glass dome on the side of the gas pump and the mesmerizing windshield cleaning the attendant would perform. Viewed from the back seat of dad’s 53 ford. I also remember wondering how that liquid made the car move and where it went,I asked my dad and he said that it gets burned up and I remember thinking why isn’t there any ashes to clean out.

My friends dad owned a gas station in Sanford, FL and we got to work the full service lane one weekend when I visited their home……it was a blast for a couple of 14 year old kids!

If I could go back to those times, I would feel like heaven on earth

Oh yeah, vividly remember pulling the early morning 6-10 shift in 1972 (a few years later than these photos), handling 4 aisles, 8 pumps solo, right at the beginning of the a.m. rush hour onslaught on the freeway into Philly. And the 3 bays better be spotless when the owner rolled in at 9. You hustled or you were history, all for $1.60 an hour. Eh, it was 50 years ago, and it kept gas in my VW. Very cool to spot a '62 Chevy Impala in one of the photos!

I am 63 y/o and I remember my mom filling up the tank for .25 cents/gal then driving around the corner where she saw another gas station selling for .23 cents/gal and her complaining about it. Damn gas wars…..lol

Two things are really striking about this (and other videos from this 1950s time period).... how people are so neatly dressed, and also there are few overweight people and no grossly obese people.

In 1972 I was paying 37 cents per gallon in California. In 1973 that almost doubled because of the shortage scam.

I grew up in the '80s but have always had a fascination with gas stations from the 50s and 60s. This video was like a treat for my eyes. Good stuff

very cool pics-in high school i worked at the last full service gas station in 1989 in my city- we had a full service lane on the front of the station and all the old ladies would pull up and the bell would sound and i went out there, filed the tank and cleaned the windshield. the gas station closed in 1990. so happy i got to experience that.

From the blame '40s-'70s, my grandparents ran a full service station out of part of their house, in the tiny rural town they lived in. Grandpa also had a mechanic shop building on the same property that he did car repairs for people and sold tires.

As a small kid in the late 50s and early 60s I remember when the old gas pumps had the round disk on top of the pumps that lit up.

I was born in ‘64 so yeah mid ‘70’s I still recall a lot of the stuff your vids show .. thanks !

Borned in the 60s but still brings back fond memorys.

That brings back a lot of memories. This also brought back the smells.

Worked at a Gulf station / car wash in the mid 70s. We were located in the auto dealer section of Bedford,OH. Got to see all the new cars every day for the few years I worked there. It was a great time, learned a lot on my first job. Thanks Jack!

The people who give a thumbs down to this are either not from the era, or are jealous of how things used to be, and they didn't get to experience such a great time!

Remember no matter what you could always get a job at a gas station and that would actually be a half decent job just so you can go inside sometimes.

My uncle operated a Mobil station from 1948 to 1960. My favorite place to be on Saturday morning!

Yeah, full service even when you said, "gimme a $1 work of regular." As kids, we'd take our flat bicycle tubes to the station to use the water trough to find the leak and the air pump. Fixing our bikes was how we learned about tools and a bit of mechanics.

We had a Clark station by where we grew up . Us kids would ride our bikes to Clark and buy a 16 oz Pepsi , a candy bar and fifty pieces of 1 cent Bazooka bubble gum . All for a dollar that we saved from our allowance.. Those were the days to grow up in but those days are long gone !!

I've never seen so many beautiful automobiles in my life

Those were the days the kids of today have no idea what they are missing.

My dad owned a Mobil gas station in Detroit during the 50's, 60's and 70's. Sol's Car Care still exists in the suburbs just outside Detroit although my dad's been gone for twenty years now. Even though I was a girl :-) I still got to pump some gas, clean some windshields, and even check some oil. When I got older I did the books and wrote the checks. Thanks for bringing back good memories

My father and grandfather ran a garage from 1946 - 1981. I remember pumping gas there in the summers and learning how to do brake jobs. I also remember him coming home from work one day, saying, "They (Shell oil) raised the price of regular to fifty cents. NOBODY is going to pay fifty cents a gallon for gas!" This was in probably '74 or '75.

I used to get a RC cola at one gas station,some didn't have it

I started driving in 1967, in 1968, an area of Port Huron Michigan had a "gas price war", I filled up my 63 Ford Galaxie 500 for $0.19/gallon.

Wow!! Zimmerman's at 4:28, was a grocery store that pumped gas. It was on route 340 in Intercourse, PA. A scene in the movie "Witness" was filmed using the phone booth that was on the front stoop of that building.

Well done and you hit all the main points. I live in a rural area and the general store / gas station duo is still alive and well here, In the earliest days (turn of the last century) it was pharmacies that often sold ga. One minor point about your presentation. You mention that post-war prosperity plus the Interstates got people on the road in 1950s. While construction of the Interstates began in the mid-1950s it was about 10 years before they were well enough connected nationwide to make a difference. It was mostly the prosperity of the era that did it. Also, not one of your shots are from the interstates. All are from small towns

I loved it. Got my first beater car in 1967. At the local gas stations, I could buy seriously cheap patched-up tires and recaps, used car batteries they'd restore, charge and resell for really cheap!. Air and water were usually free and available at the islands when the stations closed (24/7). -Restrooms usually left unlocked after closing. -They considered the practice to be great customer service. High school guys could usually get part time work at the stations (without the schools interfering). Was almost always a well lighted phone booth at every station.

I can still smell that wonderful Sunoco 260 that my Dad ran in his high compression Olds Rocket V8.

Most charming time of all.

Most "gas stations" had one or two service bays and a good mechanic which was the real profit center. Gas mark up was usually .02 @ gallon. A good mechanic could make a gas station.

It was somewhere from 1968 to 1971 that I paid as low as 12-15 cents a gallon for gasoline. It was during one of the "gas wars" that would occasionally occur. Granted it didnt happen often but it did happen. Gas was usually 27 to 32 cents a gallon.

I'm from the USA and I just married a wonderful woman from Malta and moved here to Malta. Many of the gas stations here still have pump attendant's and you can still have a doctor come to your house if you're sick. There are still mom and pop stores in almost every neighborhood. I can walk across the street to a little family grocery store and a printer. In many ways I feel I have gone back in time while still being in the present time. Love and Light and God bless you.

My parents would get us in the car and drive from Los Angeles up to Stockton where Grandma lived. I remember so clearly we would be in the back seat sleeping and then we would hear ...Ding Ding Ding Ding as we crossed the bell hose. While they were doing their thing Dad would let us get out and stretch our legs a bit before we were off again. Good times...

Music is especially good on this one.

I miss cars with the gas tank filler behind the license plate.It didn't matter what side of the aisle you are.

I was 4 yrs old in 1960 but still remember handing out free Texaco kites to the kids at my Dad's station in Oregon.

Dad had a Hudson Oil Company full service gas station in Galveston (6600 Broadway) from 1968 to 1985. I enjoyed learning how to be a gas jockey; pumping gas, checking oil and putting air in the customers tires while drinking cold soda with peanuts and pitching quarters during the slow times. Good Times.

WOULD DO ANYTHING TO RELIVE SOME OF THIS,,,,,,MAN

Wow, thank you for this great video! This brings back fond memories of driving from NY to Florida with my parents in the late 1950s-1960s. There was no I-95 that went all the way down the coast. Instead, we wove a path south on Route 301, US 13, US 17, and US 1. There were rows of gas stations everywhere, often side by side representing all the major brands of the time. Many of these stations would lure customers in with signs that said "Mechanic on Duty", "Clean Restrooms", and "Good Eats", etc. There were also often free give-a-ways and Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, and Pepsi vending machines. I even remember some stations with shacks on the premises selling fireworks. Brand loyalty in those days was really big, and travelers would seek out the brand of gasoline of their choice; Texaco, Shell, Gulf, Flying A, Sinclair, Humble, Chevron, Cities Service, etc. When my Dad pulled off the road to fill the tank it was always somewhat exciting as I got to get out and use the restroom, get a bottle of pop (soda), and perhaps even buy a souvenir. I really miss those days!

We couldn't pump gas ourselves, and gas was 30 cents and we fill it up on five bucks, they'd check your oil and clean your windshield, too.

That gas came with full service. If you don't know what I mean It was wash windshield, check tire pressure, check oil level, and top off wiper fluid.

I liked the smell of gasoline in the 1950's. It had a sweet smell. Somewhere in the 60's they started putting in additives and it changed the smell of gasoline.

When you look at these photos or watch old movies look at all of the wooded areas, farm fields, vacant land. Virtually every one of these are gone, replaced by developments, malls, strip malls, vape shops, dollar stores etc Imagine not feeling congested all the time and having much more nature to look at. Yes, life was better.

Look at all the antiques! Haha. Seriously, though....the clouds and the sky in general are SO DIFFERENT!

I was 6 years old in 1950. I think the best thing for me was the Cold soda machine, you put a dime in and get your favorite soda pop. We sure don’t have any full service gas stations or if there are any they are few and far between.

pumping gas after school in the late 60's, working on you own jalopy after work, cruising on Saturday nights.... man different world back then...

Living back then, everything seemed pretty average, boring even, just normal days....now I look back and think some of the most perfect days of my life were some of those "boring" days back then. I wonder if I am still experiencing peak moments right now, but I still am not realizing how good some of today's "average days" really are... Appreciate every moment! Every era is unique, has it's good and bad, but you can never go back, so appreciate the moment.

My dad was an owner/operator of a Standard Oil full service station from the 50's thru the 70's oil crisis and finally managed to get the hell out in the 80's after Standard Oil and a cut rate station down the street had made it impossible for him to make a living any more. I worked weekends at the station to pay off a drum set that dad had bought me when I was in 9th grade. He forgave payment on the last half of the "loan" and I realized later it was because my mom didn't like the "language" (including my dad's) that I was picking up at the station, and put her foot down about me working there any more. The station became a barber shop after dad sold it, and it has recently been torn down for a hugely inappropriate apartment complex in the historic two-block long downtown district of our hometown. My father found work with the county works department in a union job with excellent heath, retirement and pension benefits and he never looked back.

My brother lives in Oregon. It is against the law to pump your own gas. There are people hired to give you the same service as was available in the 1950s-60s.

"The Real McCoy's" cafe and Shell station, as seen at 4:39, was located in Black River Falls, Wisconsin on U.S. Hwy. 12. I stopped there with my parents for lunch while on a vacation to Canada in the summer of 1966.

I remember in the mid-60s, GULF had connected orange self-adhesive horseshoes for the back of your car trunk or bumper. I think the motto was "You get a kick out of Gulf gas."

A blast from the past. I remember most of these gas stations, the style of the pumps and the Coke machines. I worked in a Chevron station (Standard oil) in 1970. It was full service and had three grades of gas, regular, premium and custom. The custom blend was for high performance cars. I had a '63 Chysler with a 383 and 4 barrel carb. Bud who had the station said I should only use the custom to clean out the system about once every two months or it would burn the valves. Custom cost 36 cents a gallon. Great times and many memories.

Hey I came here for a history lesson and ended up groovin on some great blues.