Site of First Gas Station
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
A historical marker stands at the street corner where the world's first drive-in gas station opened in December 1913. Until then, drivers got their gas at general stores, hardware shops, even soon-to-be-obsolete blacksmiths. Photos of the first-of-its-kind facility show a small central island covered by a large roof that extended over surrounding driveways -- a convenient pull-it-in-and-gas-it-up design familiar even today.
As long as we have personal vehicles we'll probably need refueling stations, whether they dispense petroleum distillates, electricity, or plasma juice. So whatever your personal power preference, a visit here pays respect to a pretty good idea.
The plaque reads: "At this site in Dec. 1913, Gulf Refining Co. opened the first drive-in facility designed and built to provide gasoline, oils, and lubricants to the motoring public."
