Edgefield Garage

1985 photo by John Cirillo

The Edgefield Garage, 1027-1029 S. Edgefield, opened in 1925 on the northwest corner of Edgefield and Jimtown Road (re-named Clarendon Drive in 1933). In the 1930s, it was called The Edgefield & Clarendon Garage, probably reflecting the local proliferation of gasoline dispensing stations and a need to distinguish itself from all the other service stations in the area. Sometime between 1950 and 1960 it became Oak Cliff Texaco, and by 1962 it was Dave Gray Texaco.

What kind of gasoline the garage dispensed in its early days is unclear. In 1985 the remnants of a Marathon logo remained visible on the bricks, but  Marathon didn’t acquire the “best in the long run” slogan until 1930, and when Marathon introduced itself to Oak Cliff in 1930 with five official Marathon service stations, the Edgefield Garage wasn’t one of them.  Nor was the Garage listed as a Marathon station in a 1936 city directory (Marathon #3 was located 14 blocks west on Clarendon at Montreal). Perhaps the Edgefield Garage dispensed Marathon gasoline without being an “official” company station.

1985 photo by John Cirillo

The red brick building with its distinctive green tile roof still stands, and is home to several auto repair shops. Alas, the Texaco sign is gone, and the Marathon logo has been painted over.