These Ghost Signs Are a Faded Reminder of Yesterday’s Main Streets

There are many ghost signs that have been created from scratch or old signs that have been restored, but ghost sign hunters prefer the original un-retouched signs. It’s hard to fault the re-creators for wanting to keep the designs alive for another 50 years or more! It’s easy to fall in love with some of these gorgeous graphics and logos. They remind us of small town life and a slower pace of living.

They surely did fit a lot of ideas onto this space. Visit the dentist and the hardware store in one trip!

This is almost like a collage. It’s so neat to see the different ads placements over time on this building.

This sign is, amazingly, still legible almost one hundred years after it was painted!

The large scale designs for cafes, soda brands, and even for the unions, remind us so much of the way things used to be. There was a time when going to the store down on main street, you would pass several of these ads, all bright and cheery. It’s wonderful that there are people working to document and in some cases preserve these old gems. These old signs are a part of how we grew up and we hope they don’t fade away too quickly.

For more faded glory, check out the ghost towns along Route 66»