Surprisingly, if you said a pharmacy, you’d be right. Before gas stations, pharmacies sold gasoline.
It seems car inventors didn’t give much thought to where a person with a new auto would buy the very thing it took to make it run. He kinda put the cart before the horse so it seems the neighborhood pharmacy stepped in and sold fuel in addition to medicines, made soda pop, cut hair in some towns without a barbershop, performed surgeries, and pulled teeth.
The gasoline they sold was not pumped or put directly into a vehicle. The car owners brought cans into the pharmacies to be filled and they in turn, put it into their auto.
While there’s some disagreement about where the first drive-up service stations were, most think it was in downtown Pittsburg and the company was Gulf Refining in 1913. The cost was 27 cents per gallon. With the U.S. inflation rate, that would’ve been $8.60 in today’s prices.
Pretty crazy, huh?
I admit I never really gave it much thought but if I had, I would not have said a pharmacy. But, if you’d considered that pharmacies also sold kerosene for lamps, it would make sense. I have no idea how it was kept but seeing how strong gasoline and kerosene smelled, I only hope they kept it far away from the medicines they prepared or any surgeries they performed. Good heavens. I just can’t imagine. I wish I had a photo of this.
I love these little tidbits like this that I find on HistoryFacts.com. Some of this stuff is so amazing.
Today, it’s much the same. Electric cars came way before the charging stations. Thank goodness they’re not in pharmacies though! My car is one of the regular kind that takes gas but my niece and her husband have an electric car. They get stranded sometimes when their battery goes dead and forces them to to sit for two hours while the battery recharges. Not for me!
What is your opinion of electric cars? Do you want one? Or what do you think about buying fuel from a pharmacy? I’m giving away a copy (paperback or ebook) of LOVE’S FIRST LIGHT to one commenter.
This book came out in July and readers seem to like it. At least, we don’t have to go to a pharmacy to buy it!
Here’s the blurb:
Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules/
Fascinating. Would have thought it was a general store, but I guess a pharmacy doesn’t surprise me.
I think I’d rather have a hybrid than a full-time electric car.
Denise, it really threw me that a pharmacy sold the gasoline and kerosene. I would’ve guessed general store. I think when cars started rolling out and people bought them, they didn’t give much thought about where to get the gas to power them. I don’t want an electric car. I don’t think they’re any cheaper to operate. It costs to plug your car in to one of those chargers. Thanks for coming.
And, while you can have one installed at home, there have been so many electrical fires with people losing their garage, and sometimes the house, while the car was charging, it’s concerning.
My son and his wife have one, and they can charge it for free where they live, I’m just not fully sold on it.
Denise, I’m not either. But I guess we always seem to resist advances in technology.
Hey Linda! I am NOT interested in an electric car. Can you imagine fleeing from a hurricane and the battery going dead on the interstate?? And a million plus people on the interstate too??! Not for me either! I only left during Hurricane Helene. Went to Palatka, FL with my mother, sister-in-law, daughter and her family. Also those on the coast that has them?? Oh dear me! They say salt doesn’t agree with the battery and will catch on fire! Nope, not me! Prayers going out to those affected during these last three storms. My hometown, Live Oak, was hit THREE times within 13 months! Twice this year. Unreal.
I’m also laughing at a pharmacy selling gas! Had no idea. But, I loved getting a soda float at the fountain as a child in the 70’s! Yes, they still had one in our home town.
Best wishes on your books Linda!
Tracy, first of all I’m so sorry you’ve had to endure three hurricanes and two this year! Oh my Lord! That would be a nightmare. I pray that there are no more. Florida seems to have a bullseye on it. I’m with you on the electric car. Nope and Nope. Give me a regular vehicle. It’s a lot more dependable. I laughed too about the pharmacy! Seems so strange that they’d sell gasoline and kerosene. Thank you so much for reading my post and commenting. Thank you for the best wishes on my books.
NO to electric cars/trucks – we live out in the boonies and have enough electrical problems with the trees falling on the power lines as it is!
Teresa, I agree with you. An electric car would be a nightmare and I don’t think they’re cheaper to run. People have to pay to plug into those chargers and they’re few and far between. Thank you for coming. I always enjoy seeing you.
both interesting ideas
BN100, I’m glad you came. I hope my post gave you something you didn’t know. Have a beautiful day.
No to the electric car! We have problems with an electric lawnmower, I can’t imagine a car. You’re right about the odor. The smell would stop me from spending much time there.
Karijean, for sure, the gasoline odor is very strong. I wouldn’t want to spend much time in there either. And how sanitary would that be? Thanks for coming! Blessings and love.
I am not sure I want an electric car. Pharmacies were quite handy.
Debra, indeed pharmacies were handy to have. A one-stop shop for everything. Ha! I find this so odd. No, I wouldn’t have an electric car either. They aren’t very dependable and the charging stations are few and far between. What happens if you can’t find one? Guess you’d just be out of luck. Thanks for coming. Have a lovely day.
No I don’t want an electric car. I like the article lot of interesting facts. Hope you have a great day.
Hi Linda, thank you for coming over. I agree about the electric cars. Don’t want one. I’m glad you found my article interesting. Have a good day.
NO! I do not want an electric care. It is proving to be a dollar burner, along with dangerous if one of the batteries should explode. Ridding oneself of the defunct batteries is greater pollution than anything to date. How far can get on a trip across the country in an electric car, especially over the desert?
Buying fuel at a pharmacy seems unheard of, with the delicacy of meds, but back then all medicine was made by some genius handling the pharmacy. Such combustible items along with them seems uncleanly to say the least.
Have a blessed day.
Judy, I just really was astounded at this information that was kinda hidden in history. I’m not sure pharmacies were all that sanitary. In fact, nothing back in those days seemed to be clean. The early doctors didn’t even wash their hands and they had an abundance of soap but they rarely used it. I agree about electric cars. They’re a hazard. I’m glad you came over. Thanks for reading my post. Much love.
I definitely do NOT want an electric car, not even a hybrid. The pollution generated by the battery manufacturing process, not to mention the batteries themselves when they have to be replaced is so much worse than what we experience with gas and diesel. I live in AZ and batteries don’t last as long in our heat, not to mention what happens when there is flooding.
I read or heard somewhere that the gasoline and kerosene back then was usually stored behind the pharmacy in a separate building. But no matter where, the smell would not be pleasant for sure!
Karin, I totally agree about the electric cars and are they really cheaper to run? They have to pay at charging stations to get the battery filled. I can imagine people in states that suffer from the heat have trouble with their batteries. Thanks for coming and clarifying something. I had wondered where the pharmacies would store the gasoline and kerosene. Blessings and love.
No I don’t want an electric car ! And Thank you for sharing the post today! Have a Blessed Day!
Sarah, I’m glad you came over to read my post. I don’t want an electric car either. Blessings, my friend.
I wouldn’t want an electric car. They don’t even have enough charging stations for them now.
As far as getting gas at pharmacies, if it’s in the parking lot, then I’d say it would be convenient. However, if it’s inside, I wouldn’t be able to tolerate the smell.
Joannie, thank you so much for coming. I really found this interesting and I thought others would too. I don’t know where the pharmacies kept the gas. Hopefully, it was outside but my history article didn’t say.
I have no interest in electric cars. Not to mention they are messy and super expensive to build. Doesn’t do the environment good at all. Never thought about where they got the gas. But that is kinda funny. Yup I see as how the electric car is the same. Not a lot of places to “fill up”.
Lori, the more things change the more they stay the same! Ha! People were probably resistant to cars in the first place and thought their horses did just fine. I did find this an interesting tidbit. Have a good day.
I’m not a fan of electric cars. Not just because of the running out of power issue, but because they are bad for the environment, the batteries are unsafe (catch of fire), and the road system isn’t prepared for that kind of weight on all roads. Not to mention that they are expensive to keep and don’t have the track record of long life.
Mary Ellen, I agree with all the things you pointed out. And I don’t want driverless cars on the streets and roads either! That’s a hazard for sure! Glad you came by.
At what cost to the environment when thinking about rare earth mineral mining; scarcity of same and disposal later?
We have, as tge public, bought into the recycling of plastics as falsified by the industry itself. Now microplastics are rife in the environment…
Kate, the world is in a big mess right now and I don’t see any straightening out. We’ve really polluted the earth. The oceans are very polluted with so much trash and now we’re doing the same thing in outer space. They send stuff up there and just leave it. Crazy! Thanks for coming by.
Interesting!! I do NOT want an electric car! Those batteries like to catch fire, sometimes without notice, and especially in the case of our hurricanes, if water gets to them!! My biggest fear about leaving because of a hurricane is running out of gas on the interstate and being caught in the open. Sadly, it has been known to happen that stations run of gas before and after the storms, and people are left stranded. All gas stations have to have generators now to be able to keep supplying, but if they run out of gas, and no tanker is close, having a generator doesn’t help!
Trudy, I agree. It’s a terrible problem especially when you’re rushing to get to a safe place. I was in a huge tornado in 1979 and almost all of the people killed were in cars. They thought they could outrun it. Very sad. Hurricanes come ready we’re ready or not. My niece and her husband have an electric car and on trips they spend most of the time sitting and charging their car. I’m glad you came over to read my post.
I have mixed feelings about electric cars. I think I will stick to the reg. cars for sure though, to many cons then pros about the electric cars. Loves First Light sounds and looks very intriguing! Thank you so much for sharing about it. I will definitely be adding it to my TBR list. Have a great day and a great rest of the week.
Alicia, Love’s First Light is an inspirational romance and I really loved writing it. I think I’ll stick with my car as well. All of this new technology sounds so crazy and it’s not what it’s cracked up to be. I hope you have a blessed day.
I am not quite are about EV’s yet.
My Grandson owns one and really likes it. Of course, he travels a lot for his job.
The book sounds like the kind i enjoy reading
Joye, the world is changing so fast I can hardly keep up with it. And before I can learn what I need to, it’s already changing more. As for me, I won’t be buying an electric car. Nope. Blessings and love to you.
Electric cars are not for me. I never heard that pharmacies sold gasoline. Interesting article.
Barbara, I’m glad you liked my post. I found it so interesting. I guess I never really thought about where people got gas back then. I kinda assumed they had service stations, only they didn’t and they had to get it from somewhere. Never thought it’d be a pharmacy. Thanks for coming.
Electric cars are not for me! Thanks for sharing the interesting article!
Lynn, thank you for liking my post. I found it very interesting too. What an unlikely place to buy gasoline! Too weird. I hope you have a blessed day.
I do not want an electric car. My son-in- law has one and it is nice to ride in. My granddaughter who recently got her license would much rather drive their Rubicon Jeep. She doesn’t like driving the EV because of the brake situation. It doesn’t brake, it just stops. One has to ease up to a stop light.
Jackie, how weird! And dangerous. I need brakes. I’m with your granddaughter. Smart cookie. I heard that you have to watch a video on how to drive an electric car before they let you behind the wheel. Pretty strange. I’ll just keep my car that drives just fine and it has brakes! Have a blessed day.
I do not want an electric car. I would think taking a long trip in one would take much longer than a gas powered one because of have to stop for recharge. It takes about 2 hours to recharge and just think in the future there will be lines at the charger just like at the gas pumps.
I have at times wondered where people got gas for the early “motor cars” but never thought about it being the pharmacy. That is really interesting.
Thank you for this info. I always enjoy reading your post!
Miss Ruth, what a treat to see you! Thank you for coming. And thank you for liking my posts. I keep a list of interesting things that I find and when it gets my turn to blog, I pull one out. This really interested me so I thought it might others as well. You know, you’re right about the lines to recharge those electric cars. The more people buy them, the longer the wait will be. I sure have no desire to get one, even if I could afford it. But you know people back at the turn of the century probably said that about automobiles and preferred to ride their horse. I’m just so happy you came over. I try to bring fascinating things to everyone. Wish I could see you and could drive over to your house. What fun it would be to sit and talk.
Not interested in EVs… I do not feel they are at their best yet… maybe a hybrid vehicle.
Colleen, I think they’ve got a ways to go in order to be safe. I’ll stick with my car. Thanks for coming to read my post.
Not into electric cars. Hybrid cars are as far as I will go.
Cherie, thank you for coming. I’m not going to hop on the bandwagon yet. I can’t see myself giving up my little KIA. It suits me just fine. Thank you for coming to read my post.
There are not enough charging stations for electric cars to be practical in rural America.
No electric cars for me. I think it will be many years before they would be practical and I think they will be more expensive in the long run. You have to think about the batteries and how much it will cost to replace them and what would they do with the old batteries pile them in a land field somewhere. They will do more harm in the long run.
I never knew that pharmacies sold gas!
I don’t think that I would want an electric car. Thanks for an interesting post.
I cannot say that I am a fan of electric cars. It will take me time to get used to the fact. It does not surprise me that gasoline was sold at pharmacies. There are a lot of small communities in the mountains that still have Mom and Pop grocery/gas stations where they come out and pump for you. Innovation is wonderful, but sometimes it moves too quick and does not allow people to catch up with the ideas that it offers. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
I wouldn’t ever buy an electric car. Very expensive and many problems. In the future when they have ironed out all the details – battery, charging stations etc. I still won’t . They are so popular. Driving in the city is ok but never for a road trip.
Pharmacies were so amazing and special way back. Too much has changed and it is hard to accept the changes.
Yes, I would like an electric car…but I would need to be aware of the charging requirements! I’m so used to just jumping in the car & going… I even can get gas just a short distance from my house. A 2 hour wait, ??
I’ve would never have guessed the pharmacy, very interesting.
I wouldn’t buy a electric car and don’t like the new car period. Everything is electronic and I just trust my older jeep 2011. More trustworthy then these new car and less expensive to fix.
Sandy, hold on to your Jeep. That’s the better option. I just hate all the electronics on my little KIA. And why put computers in refrigerators and washing machines?? I’ve never understood that. Nothing works the way it’s supposed to. Always going out.