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Texas
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Ghost Signs
FORGOTTEN TEXAS
GHOST SIGNS
in TEXAS
Text and photos
by John Troesser
"I fade, therefore, I am"
Palimpsests on pediments.
Reading between (and through) the faded lines of Advertising's
Bronze Age |
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A
ghost sign reappears in Giddings
Even in their current muted shades they prove that the past wasn't
all black, white or sepia. |
Ghost Signs
and Sign Painters
Everyone
has seen them. After all, that was the point. They are faded reminders
of (usually) defunct products painted on the fronts and sides of buildings
in small towns and large cities all across the country. Many are still
here; you just need to look for them.
But there was a time when these signs weren't faded. Originally they
were bright colors, mixed on site into a base of heavily-leaded white.
They brightened up what we sometimes mistakenly call the "good old
days" and were responsible in at least a small part for some of the
gaiety of the "Gay '90s." The 1890s, that is. Even in their current
muted shades they prove that the past wasn't all black, white or sepia. |
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The
sign painters, who were affectionately known in the advertising
industry as "wall dogs," arrived in town unheralded. After unloading
ladders and scaffolds and mixing their colors, they would, in a few
short hours, transform drab, burnt-umber brick walls into 40-foot
loaves of sliced bread, sweating bottles of soft drink or shoelace-selling
cherubim. |
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Dr Pepper / Wrigley Gum and Privlege Sign in Gonzales,
Texas
Photo
by John Troesser, 11-3-2002 |
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The
term "ghost sign" has several layers - like many of the signs
themselves. The products they advertise are usually dead or defunct,
they reappear or "materialize" after a rain and they sometimes appear
after a fire or storm exposes a wall long hidden by another structure.
While thousands of these ads were (sometimes justifiably) removed
as eyesores, a handful of remaining signs still show faces and letters.
Perhaps in your town - perhaps on a wall near you.
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A Battle Ax plug Tobacco sign appears in Luling,
Texas
Photo
by John Troesser, 11-2002 |
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A former drive-in
now bricked-up. Bryan,
Texas
Photo
by John Troesser, 6-2001 |
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When
they were new, ghost signs were landmarks for pedestrians. They
gave directions long before towns had traffic signals. Wall signs
weren't pushy like print ads - they were physically a part of the
neighborhood and were trusted like friends or family.
"Privilege signs" were painted gratis in exchange for the
wall space and store owners were proud to have their names professionally
done. Association with strong national products made store owners
look good in the eyes of their customers.
Saloon walls sported tobacco and beer ads while grocer's walls tended
toward staples. Soft drink signs lived in both worlds.
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The "Real
Thing" in Flatonia,
Signed by "Eddie and Monk" in December 1966
Photo
by John Troesser, November 2002 |
Looking for
Ghost Signs
Before we were
aware ghost signs had a name, we uncovered over 100 images of them
in our files. The few shown here are merely examples.
Factory and warehouse districts of larger cities are good hunting
grounds for ghost signs. Many of the signs for defunct business defy
explanation. Factory signs were usually utilitarian, no-nonsense lettering
painted between rows of windows. Dispite their simplicity they provide
mystery and provoke thought. |
Ghost Sign
Preservation
The disappearance
of painted signs is now being noticed and the sign painter's meticulous,
under-appreciated skill is now being recognized in historic preservation
circles. Fort Collins, Colorado, Butte, Montana and Sepulpa, Oklahoma
are a few towns restoring their old signs.
Photos of ghost signs or ghost ads now appear on many websites of
urban exploration or commercial archeology. Sadly, many of the images
appear with a footnoted obituary.
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage or recent photos, please contact
us. |
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