Heritage Frederick – Historical Society of Frederick County

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Former President, Harry Truman visited the city of Frederick on June 21, 1953, in his Chrysler Sedan, alongside his wife in the passenger seat. They made a stop at Carroll Kehne’s Gulf Station on 400 West Patrick Street, where Truman found ten reporters and photographers from D.C. waiting for him.

Truman and his wife drank Cokes and ice water while his car was being serviced at the station, for about thirty minutes. Kehne was surprised when reporters came into his station, who were asking if they could call Margaret Truman to see when her father would arrive.

In shock, Kehne mentions that when Truman’s Chrysler Imperial arrived in the parking lot that it was “beautiful.” After Truman had his Coke and his car filled with gas, Kehne would not let him pay the fee, saying, “I just wanted to be able to say that I treated President Harry S. Truman to a tank of gasoline.” He said they talked about everything, as Kehne put it, “He was the kind of guy who could talk to you about anything, fixing cars or changing oil, or politics.”