Was overshadowed by an even bigger one 4600 miles to the east that day.

About 15 years ago I was taking courses with most students younger than me, and in a marketing class we were thinking of company names that were just four letters, and when I suggested Esso nobody had heard of it.

Exxon is still branded as Esso in Canada. My dad worked for Imperial Oil for 25 years.

According to the 1944 Charlotte City Directory, Scott's Service Station was at 1001 South Tryon Street. Google Maps satellite view shows a building being demolished at that address that could well have been this Esso station.

S.O. from Standard Oil

Ess and Oh!

I have a retired friend who worked for Chevron. He just hates it when I say Standard Oil.

About six months after this photo was made, Roy Stryker, who'd been the director of the RA/FSA/OWI photography project since its beginning, left to work for Standard Oil of New Jersey. His new job would be directing a public-relations documentary project whose sponsors hoped it would generate a more positive opinion of the oil industry in general and Standard Oil in particular.

Several of the FSA/OWI photographers including John Vachon, Russell Lee and Esther Bubley followed Stryker to the SONJ project. It ended in 1950.

Not the best slogan for my race team.

But there was no Rest from Rust.

Note the Atlas tire rack is empty. No tires available during the war as well as anything else made of rubber. Gas was rationed to keep people from joy riding and wearing out tires.

So phonetically that is the S [ESS] from Standard and the O from Oil = ESSO

The bus stop sign says “5 Minutes to Square." The Square was, and is, the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets.