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Painted Signs in Fayette County 1938
by John Troesser
Photos Courtesy La Grange Chamber of Commerce |
| | Coca
Cola advertising car in front of Von Minden's Hatchery and Feed Store
Location unknown |
The era
of the hand-painted sign went out in the 1960s with the introduction of plastic
lighted signs. Today, when traveling through small towns one will occasionally
get a glimpse of the sign painter’s art on forgotten brick walls. The men, known
in the trade as “wall dogs,” traveled the roads and back roads of Texas providing
signs for businesses ranging from grocery stores to cafes, pool halls, garages
and sometimes water towers.
An album of photographs taken in 1938 was
recently donated to the La Grange Chamber of Commerce. On display inside the former
Fayette County jail, the fifty or so photos show the Coca-Cola “Advertising Car”
which was actually a panel truck with an overhead ladder rack. |
| | Coca
Cola advertising car in front of Plum Post Office |
| | Siebel's
Cafe
Location unknown. |
| | The
"Advertising Car' en route to another job |
The sign
painter, whose identity is a mystery, chronicled his work from Giddings
(Lee County) to La Grange, Plum,
Schulenburg, and other towns
that are unrecognizable and unidentified.
The painter was understandably
proud of his work and he can even be seen in several of the photos. |
| | Carnation
Milk Plant water tower, note painter
Schulenburg, Texas |
| The album
offers a rare look at a time when towns were proud of their capacity for beer
(“Another load of beer for La Grange”) and a big city store was savvy enough to
include in their ad: "If your home town merchant can not supply you Shop
at Joske's San Antonio." |
| | Pearl
Truck possibly in Giddings (Lee County)
"If your home town merchant
can not supply you
Shop at Joske's San Antonio." |
| Several
drivers are visible with their rigs - which include Pearl Beer vehicles and Coca-Cola
trucks. ... next
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