Emporia Travel Gas Station (Closed)
Emporia, VA
Photo courtesy Tait Hilliard

The Emporia Travel Gas Station stood beside the Dixie Motel, forming part of a roadside complex where motorists could find fuel, food, and a room. By the time this photograph was taken, the businesses had gone quiet. Their surviving buildings recalled an earlier chapter of travel around Emporia. 08-08

This location’s history was tied to the developing interstate as well as U.S. 301. A restaurant stood near the bypass connection when it opened in 1959, and the motel and truck stop had joined it by 1968. Northbound I-95 traffic emptied onto this stretch until the remaining interstate connection opened in 1982, changing the flow past the businesses.

UPDATE: The complex has been cleared. The Dixie Motel was demolished in 2011, with the restaurant and travel plaza disappearing around the same period. The old roadside grouping no longer survives, ending a chapter shaped by the highway’s changing route. 11-26

Pure Gas (Closed)
Dinwiddie, VA
Photo courtesy Tait Hilliard

This sign was all that is left of the Pure gas station in Dinwiddie, VA. Check out the old Pure logo on this lonely roadside sign still standing tall. Many thanks to Tait Hilliard for info. 08-08

Pure belonged to the collection of regional and national oil brands that once gave American highways a varied commercial appearance. Here, the surviving emblem was more informative than the vacant surroundings. The original account recorded the sign alone, so other photographed Pure equipment in Dinwiddie cannot confidently be assigned to this same property.

UPDATE: The station was already gone when documented, and the sign’s present survival has not been confirmed. Its exact business history and removal date, if it was removed, remain uncertain. 11-26

Wally's Service Station Mt Airy, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss The Wally’s Service Station building in Mount Airy looks ready for a visit from a Mayberry character. Its older filling-station appearance makes an appropriate setting in Andy Griffith’s hometown, where the television connection has become an attraction of its own. This is a real former service station with a later entertainment identity. Built in 1937, the property operated first under Gulf branding and later as a Standard Oil, or Esso, station. Its present attraction combines that automotive history with souvenirs and replica Mayberry settings, including the courthouse and Otis’s jail cell. Vintage-style squad cars add another recognizable feature, departing on guided tours of Mount Airy. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 10-08 UPDATE: Wally’s remains open as a visitor attraction and the departure point for Mayberry Squad Car Tours. The preserved station and recreated television settings serve different purposes, bringing together a genuine roadside building and the fictional town familiar to generations of viewers. 08-26   Wally's Service Station Mt Airy, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss Wally's Service Station Mt Airy, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Sinclair Oil
Talladega County, AL
Photo courtesy Alan Culley

The stone exterior at this former Sinclair Oil station in Talladega County gives it an appearance quite different from a standard white service-station box. The surviving Sinclair lettering identifies its earlier trade, even though the property was described as a private home when photographed. It’s an unusual roadside combination along U.S. 280. 01-09

According to the original account, the building combined gasoline sales with a general store and upstairs living quarters. That arrangement placed several everyday needs beneath one roof, including accommodation for the people associated with the business. Its substantial stonework helped the property retain a distinctive appearance after its commercial role ended.

UPDATE: The former station was reported converted into a private residence. Its current occupancy and the continued survival of the Sinclair sign have not been independently confirmed. 11-26

Gas Station
Anniston, AL
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

The streamlined exterior of this Gas Station in Anniston supplied the attraction even without pumps or a prominent brand sign. Clean lines and Art Deco detailing gave the modest building a deliberate sense of modernity. It was the kind of architecture that could advertise a progressive automotive business without spelling out the message. 04-09

Older stations weren’t always purely utilitarian. Rounded or stepped details, carefully arranged windows, and strong horizontal lines helped distinguish them from neighboring businesses. This property retained enough of that design to remain recognizable after its original equipment disappeared, although its construction date and original operator have not been established.

UPDATE: The building's current use and condition remain unconfirmed. Other former stations in Anniston have documented brand histories, but none can confidently be matched to this particular property without further identification. 11-26

Dixie Gas (Gone)
Alma, GA
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

The Dixie Gas sign gave this Alma, Georgia, station an identity beyond an ordinary roadside garage. Its older branding was the feature that first caught the eye, recalling the variety of gasoline names motorists once encountered between larger towns. When photographed, the property appeared to retain much of its earlier appearance. 11-10

Smaller fuel businesses often depended on regular local trade alongside passing traffic. A recognizable name and sign helped customers identify the stop without the elaborate canopy and convenience-store layout associated with newer stations. Here, the surviving Dixie display provided the clearest clue to the property’s commercial past.

UPDATE: Later information suggests the station was altered and the Dixie branding disappeared. 11-26