Misc observations ...
As I understand it, the massive Rockefeller Standard Oil fortune was made on mostly kerosene, which was sold for lighting. I think they even threw gasoline away since there was so little use for it. Natural gas, of great value today, was thrown away for years.
I don't think in those days there was much demand for heating oil as coal was cheaper and used in most applications.
There's a great book, based on a PBS special "The Prize" which is an excellent history of the oil industry until around 1980.
I understand today, based on the roads newsgroup, that it's very hard to tell what gasoline you are buying. Apparently there are many layers of owners between getting the oil from the ground, transporting it, refining it, and delivering it to your local gas station.
People say all gasoline is the same. All I know is my car will knock from certain gas stations but not on others (on regular gas). I can't help but suspect certain stations use cheaper grades of gas than others. I don't know if there's any audit of gasoline quality. Govt agents check pump volumes very carefully, but do they check octane and purity?
I don't know understand why one gas station will be boarded up but a new built a block or two away.
Many service stations had only a pay telephone as their service. I believe that was called "semi-public" coin service and the property owner had to pay up if the coin box failed to meet a minimum amount. Sometimes those pay phones had non-dial extensions in a back room; if so the pay phone would have a flip sign over the coin slot warning to listen first. I last saw such an installation about 3 years ago, I don't know if it is offered today. There are fewer gas stations with service bays these days, many have either nothing at all or a convenience store instead. These places also had those LOUD outdoor ringers.
Of course today you can buy gas self service sticking your debit card in the slot without any human intervention. Obviously there's a data link a little fancier than a payphone. Some brands have a keychain device for even faster purchases. Some gas stations have a satellite dish on the roof, again, fancier than the payphone.
In WW II the govt naturally wanted to simplify shipping goods to the front as much as possible. But there were two types of gasoline required: Leaded gas was needed for motor vehicles, but unleaded was needed for heaters and field cooking stoves (lead would clog the stove.)
Apparently gasoline was used as a heating fuel way back when but not anymore.
I know of one gas station that still has phone booths and they have the Verizon name on them. Will have to get a picture. Most gas station public phones are pedestal mounted and COCOTS.
In some cities, coal was used for school building heater much later than normal (oil had taken over). I believe pressure from the coal miners forced the city to stick with coal. I wonder if they still use coal or since converted.
My parents somehow converted their home from coal to oil during WW II (I would've thought it'd be rationed and not permitted). My mother said coal heat was miserable and oil was a huge blessing. When the
1970s energy crises came and some people thought about coal to save money, my mother thought they were crazy.