Fuel Pizza (Closed)
Davidson, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
A stop at Fuel Pizza in Davidson offered a slice of pizza with a little automotive history on the side. The restaurant occupied a former filling station, making the name an appropriate fit. It was one of several Fuel locations that reused older stations rather than leaving them empty or clearing the properties. 05-08
The theme extended to the pizza boxes, which featured a vintage-style illustration of late-1930s automobiles, a gasoline pump, and a uniformed attendant. Those details connected the restaurant with the building’s earlier purpose without requiring visitors to know its history. Pizza and stromboli supplied a different kind of fuel from what customers once purchased here.
UPDATE: Fuel Pizza closed its Davidson location in 2019. The former station was subsequently renovated for The Crazy Pig restaurant, giving the building another food-service chapter. The business changed, but the property continued finding uses beyond its original life selling gasoline. 08-26
Union Grove General Store
Union Grove, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
In the town of Union Grove, pretty much all there was to the town of Union Grove was this long closed early gas station and grocery store.
Long before it became a country store and filling station, the building actually served as a local schoolhouse before being moved across the road. It's hard not to imagine folks stopping here for a tank of gas, a few groceries, and a friendly conversation before heading on their way. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 05-08
UPDATE: The old building has since been restored and once again welcomes visitors as the Union Grove General Store. 08-26
The Country Store
Centerville, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The Country Store in Centerville, NC is one of the few old gas station buildings around that still sell gas.
Sitting at a quiet country crossroads, it's the kind of place where you can still fill the tank while picking up a few groceries before heading on down the road. Small stores like this were once common throughout rural North Carolina, but very few have managed to keep both sides of the business going. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 05-08
UPDATE: The Country Store remains open and continues serving the community with groceries and fuel from its historic roadside location. 08-26
Texaco
Metcalf, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
In the town of Metcalf, which is essentially a town on the map but no town when you get there, was this restored Texaco station at a cross roads. It is miles from the nearest actual downtown but the sign mentions it was restored by the people of Metcalf. The building looked new so maybe all that is left from the original structure are the pillars.
At first glance it feels like you've stumbled onto an old roadside time capsule. The restored Texaco sign, visible gas pump, and little station all capture the look of a country filling station from decades ago. It's the kind of place that's hard to drive past without slowing down for a closer look.
The station's story actually began before the automobile. This crossroads was once a stop on the narrow-gauge Lawndale Railway, and as cars gradually replaced trains, the property evolved into a Texaco filling station serving local motorists. The railroad connection is still easy to spot today thanks to the old boxcar sitting beside the station.
Texaco
Metcalf, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
In 2001, members of the Metcalfe family and local volunteers carefully restored the station, returning many of its vintage details, including the original Texaco sign. There may not be much of a town left in Metcalf, but this little crossroads has become one of those roadside surprises that makes taking the back roads so worthwhile. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 05-08
UPDATE: Metcalfe Station continues to welcome visitors with its restored Texaco station, vintage pump, railroad boxcar, and historical marker celebrating the community's railroad heritage. 08-26
Texaco
Franklinton, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
You don't have to be a fan of old gas stations to appreciate this classic Texaco sign in Franklinton. Rising above the corner much as it has for decades, it's the kind of roadside landmark that instantly catches your eye.
The station itself is gone, but the sign survived, and that's what makes this stop so memorable. For years it welcomed motorists traveling through town on old U.S. 1, back when a familiar Texaco star meant gasoline, a friendly mechanic, and another few miles down the road.
It's always nice to see a community save a piece of its roadside history instead of clearing it away. Even standing by itself, the old Texaco sign has enough character to make you wonder what the station looked like in its heyday. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 05-08
UPDATE: The sign remains the centerpiece of Franklinton's Texaco Station Park, where it continues welcoming visitors to downtown more than 60 years after its design first appeared. 08-26
Old Gas Station
North Wilkesboro, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The old 50's modern gas station was in Wilkesboro, just a few miles south. I have no idea what kind of gas was sold here but I have seen several stations of this style around the Carolinas, all of which are used for other things.
This old Gas Station may have lost its pumps and signs, but it hasn't lost its style. Sitting just south of North Wilkesboro in Wilkesboro, it's a great example of the streamlined service stations that became popular during the 1950s.
Even without its original identity, this little station is a nice reminder that sometimes it's the building, not the sign out front, that makes a roadside stop worth remembering. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 05-08
Union 76 Gas (Closed)
Overshot, NC Photo courtesy Tait Hilliard
This was a small Union 76 service station in Overshot, NC off of Hwy 701. It appears to be at least from the 70’s because of the design on the logo, but not sure. Many thanks to Tait Hilliard for info. 08-08
The recognizable 76 branding gave the property an identity even after service ended. At smaller stations, the company emblem could do much of the advertising, identifying the gasoline while the building accommodated the local business. Here, that surviving detail helped distinguish the property from an otherwise anonymous roadside garage.
UPDATE: The station is closed. Its operating history, current condition, and the survival of the Union 76 signage have not been confirmed. The photograph preserves a small crossroads business from the years when its former brand remained visible. 08-26
Fuel Pizza (Closed)
Union Grove General Store
The Country Store
Texaco
Texaco
Old Gas Station
Union 76 Gas (Closed)
