Highlights Archives
Fill 'er Up: The Exhibit
Get ready for a drive down memory lane! The Wisconsin Historical Museum's new exhibit, Fill 'er Up, takes visitors on a nostalgic trip through the glory days of service stations through graphics, photos and a selection of artifacts. Based on the book Fill 'er Up: The Glory Days of Wisconsin Gas Stations from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, the exhibit highlights some of the historic buildings profiled in the book. Viewers get a taste of the evolution of the gas station during the 20th century as these roadside structures took on an ever-changing array of forms. Historic and contemporary photos on display link the past and the present, and show how these buildings have continued as gas stations — or how they've been adapted for completely different uses.
Images, Artifacts and Video
The exhibit also features a number of framed images on loan from photographer Mark Fay, whose vivid photos illustrate the buildings as they exist today. Images and graphics are supplemented by a selection of automotive artifacts from the collection of the Wisconsin Historical Museum. In addition, the Wisconsin Public Television documentary of the same name is available for viewing in the museum's theater, with additional information online. Numerous images of gas stations are available for viewing in Wisconsin Historical Images.
The Most Ephemeral of All Buildings
Authors of the Fill 'er Up book, Jim Draeger and Mark Speltz, note that gas stations, which were once ubiquitous across the Wisconsin landscape, are now "the most ephemeral of all buildings." They are vanishing due to increased competition, obsolescence, different transportation needs, changing demographics of where people live and work, and more rigorous environmental standards. Where once the friendly neighborhood gas station attendant would run out to pump gas, check your oil and wash your windshield, now people fill up their own car and pay at the pump without even seeing an attendant. Yet, for a culture so dependent on cars for transportation, gas stations still play an important and enduring role in our daily lives.
So, experience a historic road trip through Wisconsin in a single museum visit. Fill 'er Up runs through June 19 at the Wisconsin Historical Museum. Copies of the book are available for purchase online or at the museum's gift shop.
:: Posted March 23, 2009
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