| |
Texas
| Images
| SignsDiscovery
of the
Bull Durham wall advertisement
in Goliad, Texasby
Patsy Light |
In
2012, Patsy and Scotty Light of San
Antonio and Goliad
purchased a frame building on the square across from the Courthouse
which adjoins property they are remodeling, with the intention of requesting permission
to demolish it. The Goliad Board of Architectural Review partially denied their
request, informing them that they could remove rear additions of the building,
but not the front. Mr. Light was inspecting a broken sheet rock wall in this front
part and realized that partial anatomy of a bull was on a brick wall behind two
by fours that were scabbed on to a brick wall of a 1880s building, now the Goliad
County Library. After removing the entire sheet rock wall, a 43 foot long image,
including a 12 foot long bull, and lettering "Bull Durham Tobacco Has No Equal"
were revealed, in very good condition. Partially concealed by the ceiling, are
the letters "W.T. Blackwell" (the owner of the Bull Durham Tobacco Co. in Durham,
North Carolina). As evidenced by the 1880 and 1900 Sanborn's maps of Goliad,
which illustrate buildings on the square, the image was painted between 1880 and
1900, when it was covered by the frame building. That means that the ad had not
been seen for over 100 years! |
 |
Discovered Bull Durham Ghost
Sign
Photo courtesy Patsy Light, March 2013 |
| The Lights again
requested permission to demolish the building, stating that they would restore
the painting, and construct a protective shed roof over it. It will become a focal
point of a garden adjoining the buildings. The board granted their request, and
Mr. and Mrs. Light contracted with a San
Antonio conservator, Pam Jary Rosser to do the work. Ms. Rosser is presently
employed as the conservator for the Alamo
in San Antonio, and she has worked
on prestigious projects in the Vatican and the San Antonio Missions. For several
week-ends, she worked with the assistance of graduate students in Architectural
Preservation from Texas A&M University, applying a consolidate to bond the paint
to the wall, cleaning and touching up areas, and finally applying a sealant. When
the shed is completed, the remainder of the painting will receive the identical
treatment. |
Wall Advertisement "Bull
Durham Tobacco Has No Equal"
Photo courtesy Patsy Light, March
2013 |
The Lights have
consulted with Duke University's John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising
& Marketing History, and discovered the existence of similar walls throughout
the U.S. Unlike the Goliad Bull Durham wall, many have a fence section covering
the bull's genitals. Mr. and Mrs. Lightwould like to know about additional Bull
Durham walls around Texas.
They are planning to include the wall in an
addendum to the National Register of Historic Places listing for the Goliad Courthouse
Square Historic District and will apply for a Texas Historical Commission marker.
© Patsy Light
May
2013 |
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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