Penn Ace Motor Oil gas Station Sign Painted Aluminum Garage Shop Sign. “100% Pure Pennsylvania”. Penn Ace Motor Oil gas Station Reproduction Sign 12×18. High Quality Painted .040 Aluminum. This Sign Has Eyelets For Mounting. Made In The USA.” RG5000 From: https://www.timesonline.com/51711088-1bb4-11e7-8b63-9f46795d1b01.html By Jeffrey Snedden / For The TimesBorough of Freedom, PAWe now come back to the story of Freedom Oil, which did more to shape Freedom’s history than any other factor. Those who have lived in the area for many years will remember the heavy smell of crude oil while driving through the community. Freedom Oil’s history can be traced back to 1859, when two local men named Hunter and Code built a small refinery at the mouth of Crows Run, which was used to refine oil from cannel coal. Evidently, Hunter and Code were either very bad at doing that, or they were simply bad businessmen. By 1860, they were bankrupt, and their refinery was sold at auction to Samuel Kier, who had perfected the cannel coal oil business. Kier was a wealthy Pittsburgh man who had gained notoriety for selling what he labeled “Kier’s Petroleum.” A few months after purchasing the Crows Run refinery, he had it torn down. In its place, he built several modern refinery buildings, operating at the location until 1863. Meanwhile, two other interests had built refineries nearby. One of those, Excelsior Refining Co., grew into a profitable enterprise. By 1879, the process for refining crude oil had been perfected by John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil, spring boarding the industry ahead by decades. Locally, three men — Dr. Steuben Craig, H.S. McConnell and George Griscom — were interested in bringing the prosperity of mass-production oil refining to Beaver County. They formed a partnership and built a small refinery and laboratory at Remington, which is now Conway. Here, the beginnings of Freedom Oil were laid. Craig soon sold his holdings to August Minke, who had been born and raised in Freedom. Minke — just 24-years old at the time — injected youth and energy into the firm. He purchased the Excelsior Refinery, which was located on the western edge of Freedom. By 1889, the company had bought out several other smaller firms, at which point it incorporated under Pennsylvania law, officially becoming Freedom Oil Co. Joseph W. Craig became chief owner of Freedom Oil in 1890, following the resignation of August Minke. The company expanded once more, building a brand-new refinery and office complex along the Ohio River. Many families were lured to Freedom during this period, finding work at the refinery and building homes on the hillside. Freedom Oil rapidly became one of America’s most trusted names in oil. By 1930, the Freedom complex was producing 2,000 barrels of Pennsylvania crude each day. A second refinery at Coraopolis produced the company’s motor oils. Distributing branches were opened in New Castle, Pittsburgh, Youngstown, East Liverpool, Wheeling and Johnstown. The biggest growth for Freedom Oil came from its commercial operation, including gas stations. The Freedom Oil “Perfect” brand of gasoline was one of the iconic images of the early automobile era. Freedom Oil stations were located throughout the eastern United States, including several in Beaver County. During the height of World War II, Freedom Oil fell victim to challenging wartime economics. This necessitated a merger with the larger Valvoline Oil Co. Throughout the rest of the 1940s, Freedom-Valvoline Oil Co. was one of the nation’s largest oil firms, with corporate offices in Freedom, as well as Cincinnati. Consolidation in the oil industry during the post-war years caused problems for Freedom-Valvoline. Unable to maintain its foothold in key markets, the company was sold outright to Ashland Oil and Refining Co. of Kentucky in 1949. Ashland would maintain a presence in Freedom until 2011, although it would be greatly reduced following an August 1984 explosion, which killed three workers. The company’s warehouse complex on Fourth Avenue was finally sold in 2011, and several oil tanks near the East Rochester-Monaca Bridge are the final remnants of Freedom’s once-proud oil industry. While the permeating scent of crude no longer offends the noses of motorists on Ohio River Boulevard, Freedom will always be remembered as one of our nation’s earliest oil refining communities. You are responsible to read the entire description. Insurance on uninsured mail is included in the Handling price. Brought to you by Antiques1000. Visit My Internet Store At Antiques1000 and my other ebay stores at Antiques1000go and Uniqueantiques1000, MyAntiques1000, 3richard486, richard486,Uniqueantiques999, rtrombley486,486richard, 486rtrombley. To search for a specific seller: Select Advanced next to the search bar. In the Members section, choose Find items and enter the member’s username or email address In “only show items from specific seller” section. “Select “Search”.
