Ghost signs

[dh66]

Bonus shot of the front

 

[Zombie_61]

^ Boy, that graffiti on the window on the left is proof that not everyone is going to be the next Banksy. I think the "artist" was trying to paint "Bone Head", but he/she tried to get too clever and it looks more like "Bile Head", which makes no sense to me.

 

[dh66]

Spotted on the old Civilian Conservation Corps trail along Little River in northeast Alabama

 

[dh66]

Florence, AL

 

[MisterCairo]

I am inspired to take photos on my travels in south western Ontario, all sorts of ghost signs everywhere.

When I am "allowed" travel again, of course!

 

[dh66]

I am inspired to take photos on my travels in south western Ontario, all sorts of ghost signs everywhere.

When I am "allowed" travel again, of course!

Best luck with that. Hope it's soon.

 

[BobHufford]

Mountain Grove, Missouri

 

[BobHufford]

Recently revealed by demolition on Broadway south of Slauson in LA. Soon to be covered back up.

 

[1967Cougar390]

This picture is from a locally owned builders supply company in South Carolina. They were a large company years ago. Now the big box stores get the bulk of their business. I believe they are barely keeping their doors open. Their signage falls into ghost sign territory.

Steven

 

[Frunobulax]

The first mall in our area was the Salem Mall. Two retailers, Sears and Rike's (local) were already on a plot of land north of town, separated by some acreage. The two buildings were connected by the remainder of the mall, and a third anchor, a Liberal grocery store, was added. Several years ago the mall went belly up and was torn down, with only the Sears remaining. It's gone now, as well.

 

[Bushman]

The first mall in our area was the Salem Mall. Two retailers, Sears and Rike's (local) were already on a plot of land north of town, separated by some acreage. The two buildings were connected by the remainder of the mall, and a third anchor, a Liberal grocery store, was added. Several years ago the mall went belly up and was torn down, with only the Sears remaining. It's gone now, as well.

View attachment 319323

I find it somewhat amusing that, in the history of shopping, the shopping mall was a small, multi-decade blip on our cultural radar. For all intents and purposes, the shopping mall was a 20th century fad that started in the 1920s, and all but died by the 2020s. The era of the shopping mall barely lasted a hundred years.

Meanwhile, the "strip mall" design is timeless. American town have millions of them, and they often make up the heart of main street. Heck, one could argue that the design has been around since Middle Age Europe. It's simply convenient to have a block length structure of commercial outlets. The baker is right next to the butcher, which is right next to the candle stick maker. It's perfect!

 

[LizzieMaine]

^ Boy, that graffiti on the window on the left is proof that not everyone is going to be the next Banksy. I think the "artist" was trying to paint "Bone Head", but he/she tried to get too clever and it looks more like "Bile Head", which makes no sense to me.

"Bile Head" is me after getting another phone call from the medical collection agency.

As for strip malls, they're uniquely fertile hunting grounds for "modern" ghost signs. At our local examples, when a tenant moves out they take out the plastic insert in the little marker under the roof of the walkway and turn it backwards. So when the light comes on at night, you can read something like "ylppuS ytuaeB yllaS." Which annoys me because now I have to send away for the hairpins I like and can't get anywhere else.

 

[dh66]

Tallapoosa, Georgia

 

[BobHufford]

Willow Springs, Missouri.

 

[BobHufford]

Cabool, Missouri. This was just uncovered. I can find newspaper ads for the store from the late 1950s and early 1960s. Not sure when it closed — the owner died in 2004 at age 99.

 

[tonyb]

Bonus shot of the front View attachment 261084

Kinda surprising the sign(s) are still there for the stealing.

Even in that condition they’d fetch good money.

 

[1967Cougar390]

Downtown Sumter, South Carolina.

Steven

 

[tonyb]

Cabool, Missouri. This was just uncovered. I can find newspaper ads for the store from the late 1950s and early 1960s. Not sure when it closed — the owner died in 2004 at age 99.

View attachment 336547

Always loved that Purina checkerboard pattern.

 

[BobHufford]

You're not a true redneck until you have a truck body in your yard. We had this circa-1960, 22-foot, Brown box truck body moved from Grandpa's place in Springfield (where it was used to primarily store split-white-oak baskets we sold at craft shows) to "the farm" about 85 miles away. This is stashed behind the barn so not really visible, but it's a nice old aluminum trailer that will be good for storage. And the cost of moving it was 10% of the price of a shipping container ... and I think this is "cooler".

Anyway ...

While stripping out the carpet and shelf coverings that were put in nearly 40 years ago we found this remnant of a sign.

This will look great in the barn/shop.

Strohm's Lake Office was at Lake Lotawana near Kansas City.

I was hoping my first vintage aluminum trailer would have been an Airstream or a Spartan ... oh well.

 

[BobHufford]

Some recent demolition in Ava, Missouri.