Marathon Oil

Ghost Corp Apparel — resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Marathon Oil was an American energy company with roots stretching back more than a century before automobiles even became commonplace. The story began in Lima, Ohio, in 1887 with the formation of The Ohio Oil Company. Just two years later, the company became part of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil empire before emerging as an independent business again following the breakup of Standard Oil in 1911.

The company acquired the Marathon name through its purchase of the Transcontinental Oil Company in 1930 and eventually became Marathon Oil Company in 1962. Over the decades, Marathon grew into a major international energy producer involved in oil and natural gas exploration and production around the world.

For generations, the Marathon name was also familiar to American drivers through its service stations and distinctive red, white, and blue branding. But in 2011, the company split itself in two. Marathon Petroleum Corporation took the refining, transportation, and gasoline-marketing businesses — including the Marathon service-station brand — while Marathon Oil continued independently as an exploration and production company headquartered in Houston.

That independence lasted until November 22, 2024, when ConocoPhillips completed its acquisition of Marathon Oil. After 137 years of corporate evolution, the former Ohio Oil Company disappeared into another energy giant.

Apparently, even a company named Marathon eventually reaches the finish line.

Our Marathon Oil collection celebrates the classic corporate identity, more than a century of American petroleum history, and the legacy of an oil company that survived Standard Oil, multiple restructurings, and 137 years of mergers and industry change before finally becoming another corporate ghost.