Where Have You Been?

You're probably wondering where Jim and I have been all this time... Well, we're sort of wondering the same thing. It's embarrassing so much time has passed, but so it goes.

The Wisconsin Book Festival was a great experience. Keith and Clayton Parman kindly allowed us to host a book launch party in their service bays. Well, one thing led to another and we suddenly had both service doors up and over 100 people hearing about the lessons we learned from the lowly gas station. The Wisconsin Historical Society Press pulled out all of the stops on the party and we had a great time.

Since then, we have been busy promoting the book and hearing more wonderful stories. If you missed all of these events, don't fret. A few wise media outlets have made their interviews available online for your listening pleasure. Enjoy...

Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio

http://www.wpr.org/ideas/programnotes.cfm

Click on the link...SELECT DATE...9.29.08...11:00 am...click on LISTEN

Lake Effect, Milwaukee Public Radio

http://www.wuwm.com/programs/lake_effect/view_le.php?articleid=577

11.5.08

By the way, we made it easier to comment. So, if you have been holding back, let us know what you have been thinking.

Having a gas of a time at the Wisconsin Book Festival

If you live near Madison and like books, then you probably know that the Wisconsin Book Festival is going on right now. If you live near Madison, like books, and gas stations too? Well then, you’re really in luck!

The good folks at the Wisconsin Historical Society Press are hosting a fabulous book launch party at Parman’s Service Station on Saturday, October 18, 2008. The event starts at 10:00 am. Parman’s is located at 3502 Monroe Street in Madison. For more info, click here.

We’ll be set up in the service bays ready to share some stories and more importantly, coffee and donuts. If you are not familiar with the scene at Parman’s, you’ll enjoy this short clip from the companion Wisconsin Public Television documentary, Fill ‘er Up: The Glory Days of Wisconsin Gas Stations. Click on the seventh segment.

If you’re busy Saturday, you can find us Sunday at the Wisconsin Historical Museum at 30 N. Carroll Street at 4:00 pm. For more information, click here.

We’ll hope to see you this weekend.

Keep 'em coming

Bill Droster recently commented on the blog that he was delighted to see a couple of his family’s photographs in the book. Bill copied some images for the Wisconsin Historical Society a few years back and we’re sure glad that he did. Bill emailed a few photographs to me and one in particular jumped out as I thought about Jim’s most recent post.

I don’t know why the four kids are lined up, but I am sure they were having a good time. I particularly like the sharp-dressed lad with the Texaco attendant’s hat on. It’s easy to see in a photograph like this why so many people have fond memories about hanging out at old stations.

Let us know your stories and keep the photos coming.

Share your stories

Last week I had a book event at the Brown County Public Library in Green Bay. My favorite part of these events is the willingness of people to share their own stories. One of the attendees was a man in a NAPA auto parts shirt who regaled me with stories while I was autographing books. He started working in his dad's gas station at age five. It was a full-service station and he washed windows while his dad pumped gas. Since he was too short to reach the windshield, his dad rigged up a stand with an upside down five gallon pail set in a rubber tire. He would pull the pail over to a car, hop on top and squeege the windshield. Even so, he could never reach the top center of the windshield, so a little inverted dirty triangle left behind became his signature. His gleeful description of this odd contraption left me with a smile that stayed with me all the way back to Madison.

Keep in touch

Jim and I have officially begun promoting the new book and a whole series of events are taking place between now and the end of the year. You can view an updated list here at the Wisconsin Historical Society Press Fill 'er Up webpage.

During a recent promotion, we mentioned that individuals could reach us on the blog...and you certainly can. Sign up and post if you'd like! But you can also reach us by email at [jim.draeger@wisconsinhistory.org] or [mark.speltz@americangirl.com].

We'll look forward to hearing from you.

Write it down

One of the challenges of writing a book about historic gas stations, or about any type of historic structure for that matter, is finding the personal stories. Making connections with the owners, operators, and individuals who worked in the 59 stations spread throughout the state was one of the most rewarding parts of the project. Families graciously shared their snapshots and engaging stories with us for Fill ‘er Up: The Glory Days of Wisconsin Gas Stations.

Mark Mowbray, a former employee of the Yellowstone Garage in Fond du Lac, was kind enough to recently share a history he compiled. The 20-plus page history details the history of the station which was built about 1920 along the Yellowstone Trail. Mark’s father, Jim Mowbray, operated the garage from 1949 to 1966 and Mark’s interest grew out of his “employment” there.

The History of the Yellowstone Garage documents the names of those who owned and operated the garage over the years, notes how roads changed in the area, and includes several historic photographs. Mark also included fun anecdotal memories about tow truck calls for cows and drunks alike. All of the information included in the short history represent an important effort to document pieces of personal, architectural, and local history. Clearly, the Yellowstone Garage was an important part of their lives.

Thank you Mark for documenting this part of your family’s history and slice of life. I hope that others follow your lead and choose to write it down.

A Ripon Monument

On Monday I drove through Ripon, Wisconsin on a work trip and passed this little house type station. Closed long ago, the station has found a life as a sometimes office for a monument company. I shot this ironic photo, with the little station sitting amongst the cemetery markers wating their final inscription, like just another grave marker, where a little entrepreurial dream came to rest. You could see it as a sad little reminder of the sweeping changes that pushed thousands of these little stations to the side in the 1970s and 80s, or you could see it a tough little survivor, bucking the odds and surviving as so very few others have, to continue into the 21st century. I prefer to see it as the latter, a Ripon monument to the lives of the hardworking people who toiled in this little building for decades.

My hunch is that this station was built by the Biegick Brothers, who we feature in our book, Fill 'er Up: The Glory Days of Wisconsin Gas Stations. If you know something about this station, drop us a line, we would love
to hear from you.

Picture perfect

Photographing almost sixty gas stations spread throughout the state of Wisconsin is no small task. Just finding them all can be challenging. Thankfully, this task was entrusted to a skilled photographer, Mark Fay.

Mark logged over 5,000 miles capturing each of the stations in their present condition. His beautiful color photographs are a wonderful addition to Fill ‘er Up: The Glory Days of Wisconsin Gas Stations. Jim and I are grateful for his contribution.

An exhibit of Mark’s work, including some of the gas station images, is currently on display at the Eau Claire public library. An Exhibit of Photography is on display through October 14, 2008.

And speaking of Eau Claire, we'll be doing a book event there October 9, 2008. We’re hoping to post a list soon of all of the book events taking place. In the meantime, you can view a list of some of our upcoming events at the Wisconsin Historical Society Press website.

We’ll look forward to sharing the book and meeting you at an event this fall.

Its been a long time coming

Bobby Tanzilo of OnMilwaukee.com published an interview with Mark and I about our forthcoming gas station book which I thought was interesting enough to share. A particularly interesting question Bobby posed was "Is there any movement to preserve this part of American history?"

It is our hope that this book will help to celebrate the gas station's colorful and interesting history and to show readers that these stations are not only important pieces of Americana, but are useful structures that are adaptive and flexible in meeting modern needs.

Unlike the train stations of the 19th century, which found their place along the extremities of communities, gas stations were constructed near the vehicular heart and veins, making the locations excellent choices for adaptive reuse. Depots have survived as local chamber office, museums, and occasionally small offices, but gas stations hold more potential. We see a day coming where the lowly historic gas station will become something of wonder and interest. Appreciation is awakening and Mark and I are doing our small part in opening the eyes of people to the fascinating history of the ordinary buildings around them.

Hold the Presses!

I opened my mail Monday and was surprised to see two photographs and a handwritten note. It was sent by an owner of a gas station that is featured in our forthcoming book, Fill ‘er Up: The Glory Days of Wisconsin Gas Stations. Perhaps you have seen the small station in the companion documentary Wisconsin Public Television produced. If not, you can watch it online here.

The photographs I received in the mail, shown below, were not labeled. The note said a man in his eighties dropped them off recently at the little Platteville station. The images show his aunt and uncle who worked at the station in the 1930s. They likely spent many hours pumping gas and keeping customers happy.

The note didn’t say who the two were though. It didn’t say if they owned the station or just worked there. No matter what they did, it's likely the little station was a big part of their lives.

For the past two years we were unable to uncover a historic photograph of the station or anyone who worked there. It was pretty funny the photographs arrived just as the book is due in stores, but I am still glad Tom Nodorft of B&B Service chose to send them to us.

I shouldn’t have been surprised at this nice gesture. I am sure it will happen again and again. Jim and I know photographs and stories (and maybe, corrections) will come in after the book is officially published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

Although it’s too late to stop the presses, we want to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to drop us a line and let us know about a station you just saw, photographs you have, or your connection to a Wisconsin station.

Jake and Irene having a gas!

Finding this photo was one of those strange accidental discoveries that anyone who has ever done research can relate to. This 1957 photo depicts the Wisconsin History Mobile, a traveling history exhibit once operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The building in the background is the Clark Oil Station at South Park in Madison, which we document in our book. Finding this station's photo in the historical society's public relations collection just points out that you never know where you will find those goodies that stir the blood of the researcher.

I love the contrast between the nebbish historical society workers and the Clark Oil attendants in their jump suits. If you want to know more about this picture, click here.

Greasing the skids

We are authors of a new book on Wisconsin featuring a guided tour of 59 of Wisconsin's vintage gas stations—from cottages to pagodas. We offer a spirited and nostalgic look at these historically significant examples of roadside architecture. Since their unremarkable beginnings as cheap shacks and curbside pumps, gas stations have taken many forms, worn many guises, and have been designed by some of Wisconsin’s most distinguished architects.

Our intent in creating this blog is to share the wealth of historic photos, classic advertisements, newspaper clippings, patent drawings and other gas station paraphernalia, that came our way over the course of preparing our book, Fill ‘Er Up: The Glory Days of Wisconsin Gas Stations. Top off your tank, and get ready for a sweet ride.