Intersection of 340 (formally route 11 and now Stuarts Draft Highway) and 608 (formally Main St. now Draft Ave.)

Stuarts Draft, Virginia

The "HUB" of Augusta County

Located in the Beautiful

Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

Layton Thacker Station, the day it changed from Texaco to Esso

Almarode's Esso - Early 1960's

Pumps at front are for Esso, Esso Extra and Golden Esso

Almarode's Exxon and Automotive Center - 1970's

Almarode's Camper Sales. Located behind Esso Station (1966)

It became known as Almarode's Esso in August of 1959. Leroy Almarode purchased the station from Shorty Coiner. We opened on a Wednesday. The day we opened, Dad took the check I received for working the first days of the week for Shorty, cashed it, and placed the $27.00 in the cash register and that is how we started the day.  The name changed to Almarode's Exxon (1972) and then later to Almarode's Automotive Center until it was sold in 1984