Our History
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Horse Drawn Oil Wagon |
Harry A. Mapes founded this business in 1936. It began in a
little tin building that stood where the company operates today.
It was an Amoco commission agency, selling mostly gasoline. Harry
left the coaching ranks at Thornton Academy and South Portland
High School in 1933 to work as a salesman for American Oil and
moved to Sanford three years later as an Amoco agent.
He entered the service in 1942 during World War II and returned
to the oil business four years later. The oil burner had started
to replace coal furnaces just as the war started and there was
a big demand toconvert to oil. Mapes Oil sold and serviced Timken
oil burners. Some of the early employees were Bob Smith, 'Red' Ridley,
Willard Buck, Louis Newhouse, Louis Levasseur, Roland Pare, Jack
Roxborough, and Walter Hazeltine.
Allen joined the firm in 1950. Through the 50's and 60's, the
company grew through fuel oil and heating equipment sales. But
in the early 1970's, the oil embargo and ensuing conservation
measurers slowed heating oil growth, so the company began focusing
its attention back to its roots... gasoline. Amoco had been replaced
with Gulf and in 1981 the commission relationship turned into
a bona fide distributorship.
Jonathan joined the firm in 1982 and was appointed
general manager in 1990. Allen is no longer involved in day to
day operations. Back in the beginning, one or two employees worked
out of that little tin building , with one truck, no running
water and an oil stove for heat. They grew to over 40 employees,
4000 customers, 30 pieces of real estate, 24 vehicles, and an
air-conditioned office.
For many years, Mapes owned and operaed a Garden Center on
Route 1 in Kennebunk. In December of 1988, Mapes Oil and Pelletier & Levesque
joined forces. This marriage resulted in a larger, more efficient
oil company.
In 2002, Mapes purchased more real estate and the gasoline business
of Rowell & Watson, a Dover, NH petroleum company. In 2003,
the fuel business and some real estate was sold to Downeast Energy.
Finally, in 2004, Mapes built a brand new 10,000-sq. ft. office/warehouse
after emotionally demolishing that little tin building .
For over 70 years, H.A. Mapes, Inc. has been a local company,
locally owned, locally managed with local employees to deliver
products and service customer accounts. It has always been company
policy to employ local contractors whenever possible. Mapes owes
our success to our employees, our customers and our community. |
