Detour Pit Stop #39: America's oldest surviving gas station, Pennsylvania, USA
Martin Oil Co.
Reighard’s has been pumping gas since 1909. It may not have been the first service station in the USA, but it’s the oldest that’s still filling tanks and cleaning windshields today.
Far from the vast oilfields of Texas, Reighard’s has served the small town of Altoona, Pennsylvania (population 43,987) for over well over a century.
First established as a blacksmiths, owner George Hinkle began selling lamp oil in the late 1800s. With the arrival of the new-fangled horseless carriage, and, presumably, seeing the horse-shoeing side of the business dropping off, Hinkle began to sell gasoline in 1909. The site’s location right by the railways tracks meant fuel could easily be transferred to the station straight from tanker trains.
The name Reighard’s comes from Hinkle’s fuel supplier, the Reighard family, who would go on to purchase the business. Over the years it passed from father to son to daughter, staying in the Reighard family until 1978 when it was sold to the Martin Oil Company, who have thankfully resisted the temptation to modernise.
Reighard’s continues offer its Gold Star Service, where an attendant will fill your tank, clean your windows, check fluid levels and tyre pressures and send you on your way with a smile.