Website Updating: SCA Companion Pages

Back to the SCA pages. It looks like we’re going to be here a while. Brace yourselves for mostly bad news.

By the way, if you don’t know what I mean by “SCA pages”… I’ve been writing all of the feature articles about signs for the Society for Commercial Archaeology’s Journal since 2007. That’s 33 Journal articles and, for most of them, I have built “companion pages” at my website for more examples of the various “themes”, info, links, etc. You can order back issues of the Journal as well as become an SCA member here:

https://sca-roadside.org/sca-journal/

The SCA has been around since the 1970s and, in addition to the bi-annual Journal and quarterly newsletters, they offer in-person tours, zoom presentations, and more.

Let’s star this post with the Bowling signs section. I’m working on this article now which will be coming out in December.

It was bad enough that this neon sign in Hot Springs, AR…:

… had been “plasticized” in 2013. But earlier this year, even this unsightly sign (below) was replaced entirely with an rectangular graphic display box (not shown):

Bay Lanes in Bay City, MI has closed and the sign has been removed:

The Shelby Lanes in Shelby Township, MI sign was probably built in the late 1960s:

It has been replaced with this smaller, modern plastic sign, set further back from the road:

The Pawnee Lanes sign in Cleveland, OH…:

… was replaced with this plastic piece of crap earlier this year:

This sign in Anderson, SC was replaced earlier this year with, you guessed it, a plastic sign:

This bowling alley in Donelson, TN closed earlier this year. Apartments will be built on the site but, supposedly, this sign will stay. It’s not clear if the sign will be adapted but, if it stays, I’d think most likely so:

The Murfreesboro Strike & Spare in Murfreesboro, TN moved to a mall in 2020. It left behind this sign and it’s gone now.

The Hawk Bowl sign in Whitewater, WI might be removed soon. There are plans to demolish the bowling alley and replace it with a grocery store:

Moving on to one from the SCA Companion page for Camera Signs. This sign in Marysville, CA is gone now. The store had been closed since 2013 so I guess it was inevitable:

One from the Car Signs page. This United Motors Service sign in Bedford, IN was located at the Jenkins Motor Shop. It hung outside and was later moved inside. The business closed in 2018 and the building was demolished the following year.

Moving on to the Clock Signs section. The Wright’s Jewelry Co. sign in St. Joseph, MO has been removed. The store had been closed since 2008 so it’s no big surprise. The painted sign shown below is still there.

This one in Freeport, IL is gone now. Since the store is still open, I called to see that it wasn’t temporary or in the process of being restored. Nope. Sounds like it was sold.

I might have some good news (finally!) — this sign in Austin, TX…:

…. looks like this below in the latest StreetView from February. It appears that the neon and clock are missing. I’m hoping it’s a sign of restoration work being done. I left a voicemail and Instagram message and will let you know if I hear anything. No mention online anywhere or photos at the store’s social media of what’s going on:

This sign in Nashville, TN was missing at Google Street View so I picked up the phone. It was removed in March during demolition work after a fire. It is now in storage and there are no immediate plans to reinstall the sign: