Petrified Wood Service Station - Stephenville, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 32° 13.282 W 098° 12.035
14S E 575328 N 3565252
According to Sanborn Maps of Stephenville, this service station was built between 1930 and 1949. It features large chunks of petrified wood and pieces of other fossils, like ammonites and tufa.
Waymark Code: WMYQ4Z
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/09/2018
Views: 2
Texas Historic Site AtlasThis 1930s service station built of fossils remains along old Highway 10, the entrance into Stephenville’s business district from the northeast. Some of the large pieces of petrified wood in the station feature bits of shimmering silica and chunks of isinglass, or pieces of translucent, white quartz. Along the east elevation, large logs of petrified wood support two window openings and a door, and the west side features two of these petrified wood lintels. Throughout the exterior walls, petrified wood is interspersed with other stones, mostly limestone, laid in a random, or mosaic pattern with beaded white mortar.
The front of the service station had a recessed entry protected by the building’s gabled roof, supported by two petrified wood and stone columns. Recent owners enclosed this open area, where the gas pumps were located, with wood and vinyl windows, and added two limestone planters along the front and east side. With this enclosure of contemporary materials, the original façade remains evident.