105 Years Ago: Rockville’s First Gulf “Gas Station”
Curbside gasoline pumps were the predecessor to today’s contemporary fuel pumps. Before the advent of curbside pumps, gasoline was pumped from storage barrels, then hand poured into the automobile from tins. In 1901, a new underground container system was patented. The system used underground holding tanks which allowed the storage and subsequent distribution of gasoline to the surface via a curbside pump. It is considered the first vehicle fuel dispenser.
One hundred and five years ago, Rockville Garage began selling gas at their original location in Old Rockville at the triangle at Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike. It was a perfect site for the filling station due to being on a high visibility corner which gave the dealership maximum visibility to the largest volume of cross traffic. Their first “gas station” consisted of a single pump and one small tank. Rockville Garage dispensed gasoline produced by the Gulf Oil Co. and later offered Texaco gasoline as well. Reed Brothers is credited as the first Gulf gasoline dealer in the Washington, DC area.
Clipped from The Frederick News-Post, Thursday, May 8, 1997
Rockville’s First Gulf “Gas Station” – A Single Pump
1915 Rockville Garage First Gas Station – A Single Pump. View looking west on Main Street of Rockville showing early trolley car. Originally printed from one of Lewis Reed’s glass negatives, this 1915 black-and-white photograph provides insight for understanding and preserving early U.S. petroleum history.
Close-up of the curbside pump in front of Lewis Reed’s Rockville Garage. The pump was mounted just inside the entrance and was served by one small storage tank buried beneath the ground.
The close-up image above illustrates the utilitarian design of the early gas pumps. These early pumps were roughly four feet tall and were supplied with a hose for dispensing fuel directly to the automobile. Although hardly an ideal system, pumps and underground tanks along the curb were an improvement over the earliest filling stations where gasoline was poured from hand containers. This curbside pump would remain in use until roughly 1917.
November 1915 Rockville Maryland Sanborn Map, Sheet 5 (zoomed in)
The zoomed-in image of the November 1915 Sanborn map shows the one-story Rockville Garage at the junction of Rockville & Georgetown Turnpike and Washington Road. These maps are quite specific, not only in representing graphically the dimensions of buildings and spaces around them, but also in the details of the construction materials and activities that took place there. Notes on this map indicate that the garage had a 15-car capacity as well as a single gasoline pump. They also noted the buried gas tank and where it was located with a small circle.
The same view today, fondly known as “the mixing bowl.”
Evolution of Reed Brothers Gas Stations
Before the advent of the service station more than a century ago, fueling up was an adventure for our ancestors. Pioneering motorists had to take a bucket to the general store, hardware dealer, drugstore or local refinery and fill up from a gasoline barrel. In 1905, gas pumps begin to replace the bucket and funnel method for refueling. Early gas pumps were generally deployed curbside in front of general stores, pharmacies, hardware shops and even blacksmith shops.
Reed Brothers Dodge was the first Gulf gasoline dealer in the Washington, D.C. area. In 1915, they began selling gas at their original location in Old Rockville at the triangle at Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike. Their first “gas station” consisted of a single pump. Motorists in Rockville could stop at Lewis Reed’s Rockville Garage to buy Fisk tires and auto supplies, and then fill up at the single pump at the curb. Later, in addition to gas, they carried a full line of Gulf lubricants, Firestone and Goodyear tires, Willard batteries, complimentary road maps, free air and water, and many other well known brands of merchandise to meet their patrons needs.
1915 — Motorcyclists filling up at Rockville Garage first “gas station” – a single pump. Photo by Lewis Reed
In circa 1917, Reed Brothers became an authorized Texaco Filling Station and sold Texaco gasoline, also from a single pump. The photo below is the original Rockville Garage located at the intersection of Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike. To the right is a Texaco Gasoline Filling Station sign. One very tall Texaco branded fuel pump can be seen in this photo along with two Texaco Petroleum refueling trucks.
1917 — Original Rockville Garage with 2 story addition. Note the Texaco Filling Station signage and the Texaco Petroleum fuel truck refilling the single pump in front. Photo by Lewis Reed
At some point prior to 1920, Reed Brothers Dodge changed over from selling Texaco and became a Gulf Gasoline dealer. By this time, gasoline retailers had determined that placing gas pumps on an “island” in front of the station, where drivers could approach from either side, provided the most efficient station layout. Reed Brothers got a new facelift and remodel in 1921, and an island with three new modern gas pumps were added. Visible pumps like these, used a graduated glass cylinder to show customers the quality and quantity of gas being purchased. Glass globes, like Good Gulf, usually topped the pumps and advertised the company’s brand and name.
1921 — Reed Brothers Dodge got a new facelift and remodel. Note the island with three new Gulf gas pumps. Photo by Lewis Reed
The first uniformed gas station attendants appeared at Reed Brothers around 1920. The Gulf station included a manager and four attendants. Attendants worked long hours in all weather, possessed a thorough knowledge of service requirements for various automobile makes and models, improvised quick repairs on the spot, provided directions to lost travelers, and did it all with a smile. The four men dressed in uniforms and caps in the photo below were Gulf Gasoline Station attendants. Three of the original gas station attendants were Walter (Bud) Beall, Otis Beall and John Burdette.
Rockville Garage Sales & Service Staff circa 1920s. Photo by Lewis Reed
In the 1920s, the Gulf Refining Co. adopted a brick and tile roof station with canopy supported by four brick columns covering two front driveways. Below are architectural changes in the Reed Brothers Dodge front that were taken in the late 1920s. A modern drive-through canopy was added along with new gasoline pumps. A close-up view can be seen of the new gasoline pump-island with four pumping units along with the motor oil dispensers used at that time. The old pump island can be seen to the left along with a new “That Good Gulf Gasoline” sign.
Late 1920s — That Good Gulf Gasoline drive-through filling station with canopy and gasoline pumps were added in the late 1920s. Photo by Lewis Reed
Below is a circa 1940 photo of Reed Brothers Dodge full service Gulf Gasoline Station with two gas station attendants standing in front. Professional service was very important in the first half of the twentieth century, so it was common for gas station attendants to wear the company uniform.
1940 — Reed Brothers Dodge canopied full service Gulf Gas Station. Photo by Lewis Reed
Reed Brothers Service Station provided restrooms for the traveling public. Patrons wanted clean and safe facilities. In addition to the Gulf signage there is a small, barely visible sign below that promotes, “Clean Rest Rooms” which assured the traveler that the restrooms were well maintained.
1936 — Reed Brothers Dodge canopied Gulf Gas Station. A closer look reveals the price of gasoline as 15 cents. On the right attached to a telephone pole is a sign pointing the way to Olney. In addition to the Gulf signage there is a small, barely visible sign below that promotes, “Clean Rest Rooms”. Photo by Lewis Reed
Due to changes in the highway, Reed Brothers began an extensive remodeling and rebuilding program. Two-thirds of the original location at the junction of then Route 240 and Veirs Mill Road was razed and a modern Gulf Service Station was erected.
The photo below is a circa 1968 photo of the Reed Brothers Dodge Gulf Gasoline station. The famous Gulf “ice box” design dates back to late 1930’s and there were probably more of these built than any single one of the later Gulf designs. A Coca Cola machine is visible in front of the white Dodge Dart parked in front of the service bay. The sign in the grass to the right of the blue ’58 Plymouth (Belvedere?) reads, “We’re Making Deals on Gulf Tires”.
1960s — Reed Brothers Dodge Full Service Gulf Station. Photo by Lewis Reed
Reed Brothers Dodge discontinued offering Gulf Gasoline when they relocated to their new facility in November 1970.
That Good Gulf Gasoline
In 1918, the Gulf Refining Co. adopted a brick and tile roof station with canopy supported by four brick columns covering two front driveways. “That Good Gulf” was one of the Company’s marketing slogans for a number of years during the twenties and thirties.
Below are architectural changes in the Reed Brothers Dodge front that can be seen in the photos below taken in the late 1920s. A second story was added to the showroom with a glazed front looking out onto Rockville Pike on the right. A modern drive-through canopy was also added along with new gasoline pumps and Dodge Car and Truck signage. (click on images to enlarge)
New showroom, canopy and gasoline pumps added in the late 1920s. The Alemite sign in front indicates that Reed Brothers also sold and used the Alemite lubricating system.
A close-up view can be seen of the new gasoline pump-island with four pumping units along with the motor oil dispensers used at that time. The old pump island can be seen to the left along with a new “That Good Gulf Gasoline” sign. In the background is the old St Mary’s Church and Cemetery in Rockville.
That Good Gulf Gasoline drive-through filling station. Note the unpaved dirt road on Rockville Pike and trolley tracks.
Dodge Brothers Motor Car and Graham Brothers Truck signage. Note the onlookers and firetruck on the right by the trolley track.
According to the Gulf Oil Company, the early history of the company from 1909-19 is as follows. “When Gulf was born in 1901 with an oil discovery in Spindletop, Texas, the primary commercial fuel was coal. By 1903, the age of mechanization had arrived and it was now up to the petroleum industry to keep pace, for the age could not proceed without it. Gasoline development, into which Gulf invested millions of dollars, responded to advances in automotive technology. Within a dozen years of Spindletop, Gulf scored notable firsts with the world’s first service station, complimentary Gulf road maps and over water drilling at Ferry Lake. In 1917, the Gulfstream went into World War I service, along with the rest of Gulf’s tanker fleet.”
Fill’er Up: Reed Brothers Full Service Gasoline Station
Do you remember full service gas stations? I sure do. As a baby boomer growing up in the 60s, I remember Reed Brothers Dodge as a full service gasoline station. The uniformed attendant would greet the customer by name, fill the car up with gas, wipe the windshield, check the tire pressures and check under the hood. Back then, getting a tank of gas could take up to 10-15 minutes per person. I used to love to hear the bell ding after every gallon pumped. Gulf had orange foam balls you could place on your car’s antenna and they also gave away things like pens, key chains, calendars and road maps.
Reed Brothers Dodge was the first Gulf gasoline dealer in the Washington, D.C. area. In 1915, they began selling gas at their original location in Old Rockville at the triangle at Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike. Their first gas station consisted of a single pump. Later, in addition to gas, they carried a full line of Gulf lubricants, Goodyear tires, Willard batteries, complimentary road maps, free air and water, and many other well known brands of merchandise to meet their patrons needs. Reed Brothers discontinued offering this product line when they relocated to their new facility in November 1970.
Below are two previously unpublished photos of Reed Brothers full service Gulf gas station. Both photos were taken at its original location in Old Rockville at the triangle at Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike. (click on photos for larger images)
Reed Brothers Dodge canopied Gulf Gas Station circa 1936. A closer look reveals the price of gasoline as 15 cents. On the right attached to a telephone pole is a sign pointing the way to Olney. In addition to the Gulf signage there is a small, barely visible sign below that promotes, “Clean Rest Rooms”.
Below is a mid-1960’s photo of the Reed Brothers Dodge Gulf Gasoline station. The famous Gulf “ice box” design dates back to late 1930’s and there were probably more of these built than any single one of the later Gulf designs. A Coca Cola machine is visible in front of the white Dodge Dart parked in front of the service bay. The sign in the grass on the right reads, “We’re Making Deals on Gulf Tires”.
Reed Brothers Dodge Gulf Gas Station circa mid-1960
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Reed Brothers Dodge History (1915-2012) by Jeanne Gartner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Reed Brothers Dodge History 1915 – 2012 
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