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Fourth of July 1939 near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. "Rural filling stations become community centers and general loafing grounds. Cedargrove Team members about to play in a baseball game." Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange. View full size.
I'm guessing this might be off Old Highway 86. One of my relatives had a station like this, but smaller about halfway between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough.
Tom Howard and George Shelton (see leftmost poster) had a radio program sponsored by Royal Crown Cola. In this case, they seem to have been promoting chewing tobacco, though.
I wish these hats were still fashionable for men. Even though these fellas are scruffy, they still look sharper then guy in trucker hats, message tees and jeans.
RC cola is the third best cola on the market. Wonder why it doesn't have a bigger marker share.
It says "near" Chapel Hill, but the baseball uniforms say "Cedar Grove" which is a tiny crossroads north of Chapel Hill in Orange County, NC--Closer to Hillsborough.
They will be off to war soon.
Anybody have any idea where in Chapel Hill this is?
At least they sell RC. But no Cheerwine? What a shame.
Re: Coke
Pepsi was invented in New Bern, NC, so one doesn't see nearly as many Coke signs as Pepsi in NC. That said, I don't see a Pepsi sign, either.
Seriously... I thought they always existed in Chapel Hill
Doth sayeth The Inflation Calculator:
What cost 21 cents in 1939 would cost $2.91 in 2006.
Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2006 and 1939, they would cost you 21 cents and 2 cents respectively.
I wish the price of gas was still 21 cents! Look at the old gas pump.
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