Harvey County Service Stations Archives - Harvey County Historical Society

Fill ‘er Up! Harvey County Service Stations

by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Curator

Summer means road trips and family vacations. Today, most of us likely pull into a convenience store like Casey’s or Kwik Trip to fill up our car with gas. No matter where in the country you might stop, the lay out and architecture is usually similar.

Years ago, service stations could be found as part of the neighborhood and the architecture was varied.

Kennedy White Eagle Service Station

The White Eagle Service Station at 114 E. Broadway was originally under the ownership of Elmer Kennedy. After he died in 1918, his son, Carl, took over the station. The station was able to stay open throughout the 1930s, and was later run by D.M. Bowersock.

Kennedy White Eagle Service Station, 114 E. Broadway, Newton, ca. 1920.

Kennedy White Eagle Service Station, 114 E. Broadway, ca. 1930.

Carl Kennedy Super Service, 114 E. Broadway, Newton, 1931. Image is from the 1931 Newton Telephone Directory.

Today, this is the location of Goossen Law Office, Newton, Ks. They even have a white eagle in their lobby in honor of the former occupants of the site. (Thank you to Kathy Randall for sharing this tidbit.)

Baxter Service Station

Baxter Service Station owned by Clarence Baxter 1950s and 1960s.

Baxter Service Station,701 E. 9th, Newton, ca. 1950s.

Baxter Service Station, 701 E. 9th, Newton, October 1958.

Today, an empty lot.

Grubb’s Service Station

Grubb’s Service Station, 1224 N. Main, Newton, owned by Melvin Grubb.

Grubb’s Service Station, 1224 N. Main, Newton, 1957.

Today, a Kwik Shop in located at this corner.

Thanks to the efforts of Richard Hege and Linda Koppes, our Photo Archives has a large collection of images of service station in Harvey County. These are always available to look at during Museum open hours. Currently, we have a mini-retro exhibit up featuring Harvey County Service Stations. Stop by and see it!

Moving Buildings in “Good Order”

by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Curator

Schneider Oil Co, W. Broadway & Poplar, Newton, 1936.

Moving Schneider Service Station, ca. 1937.

Several annexes were added the Newton High School building on west 7th throughout the 1930s. As a result of one of these additions, the Schneider Service Station at the corner of Poplar and Broadway was moved to the north west corner of 12th and Main, Newton. The station was owned by Sam Schneider with operators Darwin Minnis and Ralph Paul.

Moving down Main Street, Newton, ca. 1937.

The stucco, brick and concrete building had a tile roof with an estimated weight of 90 tons.

Moving down Main Street, Newton, Ks, ca. 1937.

Ed Unruh, Unruh Moving Service, Goessel, was contracted to move the building to the new location. Ed Unruh was a well-known building mover in the area for over 16 years.

Evening Kansan Republican, 20 October 1922, p. 3.

The difficult job was considered a success and the service station was soon open for business. In 1946, Jack Hay took over the management of the station, selling Cities Service gasoline. By 1950, he had switched to Phillips 66 gasoline. For the next 25 years, Hay sold gas, tires and accessories.

Phillips 66 Station, owner, Jack Hay, ca. 1946.

Phillips 66 Station, 12th & Main, Newton. Owner, Jack Hay, ca. 1946.

Sometime during the late 1960s or early 1970s, the building was torn down and Mid-Continent Federal Savings built a new building at the site.

Sources:

Evening Kansan Republican, 22 September 1909, 29 January 1910.
Evening Kansan Republican, 20 October 1922, p. 3.
Mennonite Weekly Review 22 March 1945, 29 March 1945, with full obituary 5 April 1945, p. 3.
Smurr, Linda C. ed. Harvey County History Newton, Ks: Harvey County Historical Society, 1990.