The first U.S. auto show opened in New York City’s Madison Square Garden in 1900, just five years after Charles Duryea claimed the first American patent for a gasoline-powered automobile. Gas proved to be the least popular source of engine power.
Seen from the highway, the spheres look like massive eggs or fanciful Disney architectural projects. A 19th-century iron bridge manufacturer from Chicago conceived the idea for these globes — at first made by riveting together wrought iron plates. Modern highly pressured vessels are vital for storing and transporting liquified natural gas (LNG).
Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (CB&I) officially named “Hortonspheres” — also called Horton spheres — after Horace Ebenezer Horton (1843-1912), the company founder and designer of water towers and rounded storage vessels. His son George would patent designs that stand among the great innovations to come to the oil patch. (more…)
Retired architect Michael Lambert of Plainfield, Illinois, has developed “a fairly complete record of more than 40 stations and operators between 1910 and 1965 that operated at Plainfield, where the Lincoln Highway and U.S. Route 66 share the only common alignment in the nation. ”
In an October 2025 email to the American Oil & Gas Historical Society, Lambert — who has taught college-level archival documentation and is president of the Plainfield Historical Society — wonders whether AOGHS website visitors may shed any light on his community’s petroleum history.
“After a 40-year career, I have retired from my architectural practice, which involved many preservation projects,” Lambert explained. The historical society, established in 1977, is in the process of renovating a two-bay, 1940 Phillips 66 Service Station on Historic Route 66. “In 2026, we will be installing a permanent exhibit: ‘Pumped Up on Plainfield’ that will explore Plainfield’s relationship to the Lincoln Highway and U.S. Route 66, featuring gas stations, diners, tea rooms, tourist homes, and other businesses related to early 20th century automobile travel.”
In his email to AOGHS, Lambert seeks information about Plainfield petroleum history — especially the McCredie Filling (Gasoline) Station, which distributed Penn Oil gasoline. He believes McCredie Oil was the first purpose-built filling station in the community, which incorporated in 1877.
“I know that one of the early operators was local resident Jacob ‘Jake’ Rausch, a retired farmer who moved ‘into town’ after 1920 and died in 1934 in his mid-seventies,” Lambert noted in his email. “The probable second station at Plainfield was a Standard Oil station and the third was the Newkirk-Overman Texaco station in 1928 (listed in the National Register of Historic Places, erroneously, as a Standard Oil station).”
Image of the McCredie Filling (Gasoline) Station, Plainfield, Illinois, dated “about 1924.” It distributed Penn Oil gasoline. Photo courtesy Plainfield Historical Society.
The McCredie Coal and Oil Company was granted a gasoline distribution license from the State of Illinois in February 1920, Lambert continues. Based on that information, “I know that the station at Plainfield was not erected earlier than the spring of 1920. McCredie Coal and Oil was established by James M. McCredie and his son, James David McCredie, at Aurora, Illinois, in 1903.”
Lambert discovered the site of the Plainfield station had been owned by another Aurora businessman, John Knell, “who had intended to erect a hotel and tavern on the site following a fierce battle over the town settling the ‘wet’ or ‘dry’ question between 1908 and 1910,” Lambert explains. The town “went wet” again in 1910, but he notes, “Knell was not granted a liquor license, and McCredie was allowed to erect the gas station eventually.”
Full runs of the local newspaper have not survived for this period, Lambert reports, “although I believe that I have discovered a few previously unknown issues available at the Illinois State Library at Springfield.” With the Lincoln Highway paved through Plainfield between 1921 and 1922, his research suggests the Plainfield McCredie station may have been built during that period.
Lambert’s ongoing research has also revealed:
The McCredie Oil Company operated two service stations at Aurora, Illinois, by 1924 (the first was likely built in 1920) and added two more stations there before 1935.
The McCredie “Penn Oil” station at Plainfield may have been designed by Aurora architect Eugene Malmer, who had a connection to the Knell and McCredie families. The McCredie “Penn Oil” station at Plainfield operated until at least 1936. At that time, a former Aurora resident, Alvin “Al” Morel, took over the Plainfield station and sold Mobiloil products until the summer of 1939, when “Al” Morel opened a new Mobiloil station along the soon-to-be-completed U.S. Route 66 — when that highway was diverted, officially, from Joliet, Illinois, through Plainfield in December 1939.
The former McCredie “Penn Oil” station is believed to have served as a D-X Service Station (under either the Unit Service System company of Joliet or the Huot Oil Co. of Kankakee-Joliet). The D-X station was operated by Walter “Walt” E. Myer between summer 1939 and February 1940, when the station was taken over by William Morgan Klett until he entered military service in early 1942.
Apparently, the station sat vacant afterward (likely due to wartime gas rationing) and was demolished in 1945, when a Ford Agency automobile dealership was built on the site. My father and mother (both deceased) attended Plainfield High School between 1943 and 1949; the school was a short distance from the McCredie station in downtown Plainfield. Neither of my parents could recall the station in operation during their high school years. My father was one of the local “gearheads” that “cruised” downtown Plainfield during his school days.
All of this information is provided as background to my actual questions. I have completed as much research as I know how to do (I taught archival documentation at the college level for several years). I have not been able to answer a few remaining questions.
Lambert reports the Aurora Historical Society has no additional information, and the local newspapers are available only on microfilm without Optical Character Recognition (OCR) search capabilities.
The Illinois researcher also has been in contact with Archie Bentz, author of the 2021 book Refueling the Past: A History of Service Stations in Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles, Illinois, who has encouraged him to write a book about his community’s historic stations on Route 66 and the Lincoln Highway.
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Recommended Reading: Refueling the Past: A History of Service Stations in Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles, Illinois (2021); Pump and Circumstance: Glory Days of the Gas Station
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The American Oil & Gas Historical Society (AOGHS) preserves U.S. petroleum history. Please become an AOGHS annual supporter and help maintain this energy education website and expand historical research. For more information, contact bawells@aoghs.org. Copyright © 2025 Bruce A. Wells. All rights reserved.
Citation Information: Article Title: “Gas Stations of Plainfield, Illinois.” Authors: B.A. Wells and K.L. Wells. Website Name: American Oil & Gas Historical Society. URL: https://aoghs.org/transportation/gas-stations-of-plainfield-illinois. Last Updated: August 29, 2026. Original Published Date: October 15, 2025.
Sharing petroleum history resources and personal “oil patch” stories are important The American Oil & Gas Historical Society ‘s History Research Forum and the forum for Oil & Gas Families complement the work of community museums preserving photographic, written and oral histories.
Wayne Lease owns a rare 1892 self-measuring pump originally designed to dispense kerosene. Wayne’s Wayne Oil Tank Company pump is one of only 50 manufactured by the company during its first year of business in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, he explained in a 2020 email to the American Oil & Gas Historical Society.
Lease, from White Salmon, Washington, has researched his petroleum technology artifact, learning it was manufactured for selling kerosene, the popular 19th century lamp fuel sold at mercantile stores. His Wayne Company hand-cranked, measured dispensing pump apparently was later modified to supply gasoline.
Original 1892 Wayne Oil Tank Company pump, one of just 50 manufactured to dispense kerosene during the company’s first year of business in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
“My research indicates the Wayne pump was never manufactured to be used for gasoline, but rather kerosene only,” Lease noted.
He explained that many researchers of gasoline service station pumps have overlooked Wayne and other manufacturers’ altered pumps, “best defined as an ‘after strike,’ which allowed the use in the transfer of the more volatile gasoline.”
Self-measuring pump venders made good use of a dispenser that had become less needed because of electric lighting, Lease added.
The original Wayne Oil Tank & Pump Company design was limited to the specific use of kerosene as a lamp fuel, Lease explained. Kerosene was sold in general stores of rural America, where merchandise often could be found at stage coach stops spaced 15 miles to 25 miles apart.
Kerosene lamp fuel would be joined by a new transportation fuel in the early 1900s, gasoline for autos. “Small cities now become the hub of commerce on a larger scale with the introduction of the combustion engine,” he added. Kerosene would succumb to the Rural Electrification Act (1936) as gasoline became the U.S. consumer’s primary need.
“The Wayne pump, one of fifty made in1892, was then certified for the use of the transfer of Gasoline, and the vender made good use of what had become obsolete,” the amateur pump historian concluded in his 2020 email. He continues to research more information about the pump.
Detailed Wayne pump measurement scale 70 designed for dispensing kerosene and later, gasoline.
“It is in immaculate condition as you can see by the photographs, Lease noted. He is seeking more information about the pump…and a potential petroleum museum interested in adding the Wayne pump to its collection. Insights are welcomed in comment section below.
Wayne’s Wayne pump was also featured by Rural Heritage Magazine’s Facebook page. Learn more early transportation and gasoline pump history in First Gas Pump and Service Station and Coin-Operated Gas Pumps.
History from the former Wayne Oil Tank Company, today still operating as Wayne Fueling Systems:
Wayne has been shaping the retail and fleet fueling industry since we designed our first pump in 1891. We were known as the Wayne Oil Tank Company back then, and from the very beginning we were developing a reputation for quality.
Trade show display for Wayne Oil Tank and Pump Company equipment, showing gasoline and oil pumps. Sign for Wayne Oil Tank & Pump Co. in background. Handwritten note on back: “Service stations, 1910. Gasoline pump.” Photo courtesy Detroit Public Library.
In fact, this inaugural product won the distinction “The Best Self Measuring Oil Pump” at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago just two years later. Once the motor vehicle entered the scene, our purpose and mission was solidified – to create a reliable, accurate way for motorists to refuel cars...Learn more at About Wayne Fueling Systems.
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Recommended Reading: Pump and Circumstance: Glory Days of the Gas Station (1993). Your Amazon purchase benefits the American Oil & Gas Historical Society. As an Amazon Associate, AOGHS earns a commission from qualifying purchases.
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The American Oil & Gas Historical Society (AOGHS) preserves U.S. petroleum history. Support this energy education website, subscribe to our monthly email newsletter, and help expand historical research. Contact bawells@aoghs.org. Copyright © 2026 Bruce A. Wells.
Citation Information – Article Title: “Wayne’s Self-Measuring Pump.” Authors: B.A. Wells and K.L. Wells. Website Name: American Oil & Gas Historical Society. URL: https://aoghs.org/transportation/waynes-self-measuring-pump. Last Updated: June 14, 2026. Original Published Date: July 14, 2021.
Picturing oil history: Details of an image in the Library of Congress digital collection offer insights into the early U.S. petroleum industry.
A single 1921 black-and-white photograph of a Washington, D.C., suburban gas station features petroleum products and transportation infrastructure just 20 years after the first U.S. auto show. Printed from an eight-inch by six-inch glass negative, the image features Takoma Park, Maryland, and its railroad station on the northeastern border of the District of Columbia.
Beginning soon after its 1979 opening day, the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum has hosted an annual Jamboree attended by thousands. The museum in Walcott has more than 100 antique trucks on display, including an 1890 Standard Oil triple wagon; a 1903 Eldridge; a 1910 Avery tractor/gasoline farm wagon; and a 1911 Walker Electric Model 43.
The trucking collection off Interstate 80 at the “World’s Largest Truck Stop” began thanks to truck stop founder Bill Moon, who had a passion for trucks and truck history. Every summer, the museum at exit 284 on I -80 outside Walcott, Iowa, hosts a variety of events for truckers and other travelers, teachers, students — and transportation history buffs.
In 2024, the Iowa museum celebrated U.S. trucking history by showcasing its 1924 White Model 40 Wrecker, now on permanent display (and featured in the 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes). The Model 40’s four-cylinder, 371-cubic-inch engine was produced at the White factory in Cleveland, Ohio, factory.
“If you are the least bit into cars you will find the museum interesting and well worth the stop,” notes a visitor from Legendary Collector Cars. “From what we could tell, it looks like this I-80 Exit at Walcott, Iowa, is about to become the over-the-road truckers Disneyland in a few years.”
“Bill had a passion for collecting antique trucks and other trucking memorabilia,” notes the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum website. “We are pleased to be able to share this collection with the general public. Every truck has a story to tell and can provide a unique glimpse back in time. Many rare and one-of-a-kind trucks are on display.”
The museum, which offers short films about trucking history, attracts all kinds of visitors, from those interested in antique trucks to those wanting to learn the history of modern, big rigs. Exhibit spaces, greatly expanded in 2012, today include free smartphone apps with audio narratives.
Since its inception in 1979, the Truckers Jamboree has been celebrating America’s Truckers. This event is a great place to celebrate and learn about trucking history — and those big rigs.
The descriptions provide additional details about each truck not found on the limited space of exhibit signs. Visitors can scan a “QR” code at the welcome desk to download the app. Upcoming museum visitors can download it from the website. The innovation — increasingly found at museums — allows both virtual and actual visitors to scan and download exhibit information.
“The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum’s mission is to celebrate trucking and to preserve and share its history,” noted Marketing Director Heather DeBaillie in 2012. The smartphone apps, give visitors even more information about the exhibits, “and also give those who are unable to visit the museum the opportunity to learn more about trucking history,” she said.
A century of trucking technology is on exhibit at the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum, which on July 15, 2011, celebrated the birthday of its rare 1911 Walker electric truck, which once delivered dairy products.
The annual Jamborees in July host nearly 30,000 drivers and their families from 23 different states and Canada, according to the marketing director. During two days guests enjoyed 175 exhibits — and a Super Truck Beauty Contest with 59 contestants.
In 2011, the trucking museum hosted a birthday party for its Walker electric truck — with the party coinciding with the 32nd annual Walcott Truckers Jamboree at its next-door neighbor, the Iowa 80 Truck Stop, DeBaillie noted.
The antique truck display included more than 200 vehicles. Thousands also enjoyed an Iowa pork chop cookout; a Trucker Olympics; carnival games; a concert and fireworks display.
A 1929 International Harvester. Photo courtesy Legendary Collector Cars, which notes: “If you are the least bit into cars you will find the museum interesting and well worth the stop.”
The Walker truck’s 2011 centennial birthday party at the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum celebrated an electric manufactured by the Walker Vehicle Company of Chicago.
The company produced electric vehicles until late 1941. Walker trucks were used mainly as delivery trucks in major cities — delivering ice cream and other dairy products, baked goods and dry goods.
Although the 1919 International Harvester’s four-cylinder gasoline engine provided a top speed of just 17 mph, it was the first truck to climb Pike’s Peak.
The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum’s 1911 Walker electric truck was owned by Bowman Dairy and used to deliver milk to hospitals, restaurants and hotels, according to curator Dave Meier. It is one of only a handful of Walker Electric trucks known to still exist.
“Many people think that electric vehicles are a recent invention, when in fact they were in production over 100 years ago,” explained Meir.
Electric vehicles were popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century – until advances in internal combustion engine technology and mass production of cheaper gasoline vehicles led to a decline in their use (also see Cantankerous Combustion — 1st U.S. Auto Show).
Among the exhibits at the trucking museum is one of the few surviving examples of an Avery gasoline-powered tractor. Avery Company of Peoria, Illinois, began producing coal (and straw)-burning steam tractors in 1891 — and became the world’s largest tractor supplier. It was also one of the first companies to manufacture gasoline tractors.
Manufactured in Peoria, Illinois, Avery tractors brought new efficiency to rural America — and the world. The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum’s 1910 Avery “Tractor-Gasoline Farm Wagon” (at right) was promoted with the slogan, “Makes Power Farming Possible on the Average Sized Farm.”
Created by his family, the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum was a dream of Bill Moon, who founded the Iowa 80 truck stop. Standard Oil originally built the stop in 1964 – when Interstate 80 was still under construction. In September 1965, Moon took over management and purchased it from Amoco in 1984. He managed its growth until his death in 1992.
Plan a visit to the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum.
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The American Oil & Gas Historical Society (AOGHS) preserves U.S. petroleum history. Please become an AOGHS supporter and help maintain this energy education website and expand historical research. For more information, contact bawells@aoghs.org. Copyright © 2024 Bruce A. Wells. All rights reserved.
Citation Information – Article Title: “Iowa 80 Trucking Museum.” Authors: B.A. Wells and K.L. Wells. Website Name: American Oil & Gas Historical Society. URL: https://aoghs.org/oil-almanac/oil-riches-of-merriman-baptist-church. Last Updated: December 28, 2024. Original Published Date: April 18, 2012.
