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Our focus this month has been the various buildings that line both sides of the historic avenue.

This week we look at one of Hartsville鈥檚 oldest gas stations.

In our archives, we have photos of the first automobile in town, a Stanley Steamer, owned by Andrew Welch, the editor of our local newspaper.

Another old photo, from the estate of the late 鈥淢iss Gladys鈥� Stafford, shows an old car in front of the Rankin Hotel, with this note on the back: 鈥淔irst car I remember of seeing 鈥� Dr. Briggs of Nashville on way to Dixon Springs to set broken bones of old Billy Young.鈥�

That was in 1910.

At that time, with the horseless buggy being new, there were no gas stations in Trousdale County.

As cars became more popular, country stores would sell containers of gas for those few people who drove one.

When our first car dealership, selling Fords, opened before 1920, it also sold gas.

The gas station on Broadway, however, didn鈥檛 get built until the late 1920s or early 1930s. We know that because it does not appear on a map of the city in 1920, but does appear on the next map, in 1931.

The style, 鈥淎rt Deco鈥� was popular in that era, with rounded corners and large windows.

This address, 110 Broadway, for many years had been the location of a grocery warehouse, owned by the Dalton family.

Deeds show that the land stayed in the Dalton family until recently, leading us to believe that the Dalton family built the gas station and then leased it.

Over the years, it appears that many people rented the building, selling gas, tires and doing basic car repairs.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the station was run by Dallas Richmond. Richmond moved his business to Highway 25 when that road was built in the 1950鈥檚.

The small station originally only had one 鈥榖ay鈥� for doing car maintenance and that was open on three sides. There was no lift system to get under the vehicle, so a pit was dug and a car had to drive over the hole in the floor if it needed repairs such as mufflers or universal joints.

After World War II, a second bay was added, and the first open bay was enclosed. A room was also added on to the other end, as gas stations began to sell other items besides oil and used tires.

Every station had a drink machine where you could reach in and pull your favorite cold drink from the ice filled insides.

There was also candy and cigarettes.

Many people have rented the building over the years, doing more car repair than selling gas鈥t hasn鈥檛 sold gas for about fifty years.

In 2002, it was purchased and turned into a motorcycle repair shop.

More recently, in 2016, it was purchased by the local county historian and his wife with the intention of restoring it to its former appearance鈥hich, has been a lengthy process.

The new owners had to replace the roof, empty the building of almost a hundred years of old car and motorcycle parts, tires, sparkplugs, and general debris.

Never-the-less, progress was made and the little building now sports a new coat of paint, new doors and signage.

Inside, the building has had a new bathroom put in, all new wiring, insulation and heating and cooling.

But, there is more to come.

Local car body expert, Mike Howell, has volunteered to make a pair of reproduction gas station pumps to place on the island in the newly paved parking lot to give the old station an authentic look.

Now, being rented by Pure Promotions, who design and sell custom advertising items, such as hats, tee shirts, mugs and paper items, the old 1930s gas station is no longer an eye-sore on Broadway, but an historic restoration with another one hundred years to look forward to.