Sinclair H-C Gasoline Pump - Millbrook, AL
Posted by: 
xptwo
N 32° 27.414 W 086° 22.289
16S E 559071 N 3591255
This Sinclair H-C Gasoline pump is on display inside near the entrance to the dining room of the Catfish House Restaurant in Millbrook, Alabama.
Waymark Code: WMHAH4
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 06/15/2013
Views: 6
The restaurant is located on Cobbs Ford Road, east of I-65. The pump is located inside the waiting area by the door to the dining room. There is no indication of the age or source for the pump. The globe at the top and a decal on the side both have the "Sinclair H-C Gasoline." There were Sinclair dealers in this area, so it is possible the pump has a local connection.
The plate indicates this was manufactured by the Gilbert & Brker Manufacturing Company in Springfield Massachusetts. The following information comes from (
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"Gilbert & Barker Manufacturing Company (Gilbarco)
Springfield, Massachusetts
Contrary to all previous information, Gilbert & Barker did not begin making gas pumps in 1910. I first questioned this date around 1990 when I saw the picture that was always used to display the first pump. The automobile shown in the picture is probably a Duryea, which was also made in Springfield, but it is a three-wheel auto with a tiller instead of a steering wheel. Why would a company use an auto in its 1910 advertising that was made around 1900? Tillers were last used around 1905. This sent me on a quest. I finally found an advertisement in the June 1902 issue of The Automobile Magazine. This advertisement was for the same tank and pump outfit attributed to the 1910 date. It also used the same man, building, and Durea car in the ad, but a slightly different picture. This indicated that Gilbert & Barker has been making gas pumps for at over 105 years, beginning around 1902. The 1910 date is when they finally got around to patenting the pumps. I have been able to identify over 20 pieces of equipment made by G&B before 1910.
In 1935, G&B started referring to their pumps as the “Gilbarco.” In 1965, the company name was changed to Gilbarco, and in 1966 the plant and headquarters were moved to Greensboro, North Carolina.
Gilbarco, in 1987, was acquired by the General Electric Company (GEC).
In 1999 Gilbarco was renamed Marconi Commerce Systems, and GEC changed the corporation name to Marconi.
More changes came in 2002 when the company was acquired by the Danaher Corporation. Danaher was the parent company of Veeder-Root and the Red Jacket, and in 2003 the assets of the Gasboy company were acquired after the closing of Tokheim. Gilbarco now operates under the name Gilbarco Veeder-Root.
Not only a leader in the manufacturing of gas pump, they also have a software division providing software for convenience stores. The next time you stop for gas, look down on the side of the pump for the name of the manufacturer, it will probably be a Gilbarco."