Fuel 24

A gasoline station stood on this site by about 1935, and in 1939 Gulf Oil Corp. replaced the original station with a modern porcelain station with wash and grease bays that occupied the corner until it was razed in 2008. In the lower right corner of the earlier photograph was a tiny booth where young E. S. Coffey sold soft drinks before later becoming South Carolina State Highway Engineer. The small building now here was constructed in 2010. The site also reflects the working lives of the men and women who earned their living here, especially W.C. Coffey, who operated Coffey’s Gulf Station for fifty-five years, followed by Neal and Donnie Mahoney, who ran it for twenty-five more years as Donnie’s. Others tied to this history included Myer Whack, Delmar Bradham, Lawrence Davis, H.T. McCants, Elbert White, and especially Linwood Mahoney, Donnie’s father, all remembered as dependable servants to travelers and to the residents of Manning who endured long hours, heat, and cold and always thanked people for their business.

Manning, South Carolina · United States