Fuel 24
Rigby Oil Co. Since 1915
The photograph above, taken about 1935, depicts the original gasoline station on this site.
In 1939, Gulf Oil Corp. replaced it with a “modern” porcelain station, complete with wash and grease bays, and it occupied this corner until it, too, was razed in 2008. In the lower right corner of the photo is the tiny booth from which soft drinks were sold by young E. S. Coffey who grew up to become South Carolina State Highway Engineer. The small building now situated here was constructed in 2010.
It is not just a business. It is but a small tribute to the men and women who have made their living by the sweat of their brow.
First and foremost was W.C. Coffey, my father, who operated Coffey’s Gulf Station for fifty-five years, and then to Neal and Donnie Mahoney, who operated it for twenty-five more years as “Donnie’s”. Also part of the history here were Myer Whack, Delmar Bradham, Lawrence Davis, H.T. McCants, Elbert White, and especially Linwood Mahoney, Donnie’s father. All were dependable servants to the traveler and to the residents of the town of Manning. They and others endured long hours, heat, and cold, and they always said, “Thank you for your business.”
Fin Coffey
Marker is at the intersection of East Rigby Street and North Brooks Street, on the left when traveling west on East Rigby Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
