Site of World's First Drive-In Gas Station Historic Marker

Site of World's First Drive-In Gas Station Historic MarkerOn December 1, 1913, the World's First Drive-In Gas Station opened on Automobile Row at the intersection of Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.On December 1, 1913, the World's First Drive-In Gas Station opened on Automobile Row at the intersection of Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Filling a car with gasoline was very different 100 years ago. A driver had to hop off the seat, the gas tank was underneath - it needed gravity's help to reach the carburetor because the fuel pump wouldn't be invented for another 15 years. Check the fuel level with a dipstick, since there was no fuel gauge. And someone needed to start cranking the gas because it wasn't going to pump itself.

Only 30 gallons of gasoline, costing 27 cents a gallon, were sold on opening day, Dec 1, 1913. The station also provided free crankcase service, air, water, tires & tubes. This impressed the early drivers of the $400 Model T that sales jumped to over 350 gallons several days after the opening.