A little trip across the border into Kentucky for about a day and a half. The photos in this post are all from Louisville unless I mention otherwise.

This Ceratosaurus is at the Penn Run Golf Course. I have no idea what it’s doing there:

The Concrete Lady in Clarksville, IN has thousands of statues on-site:

Lottie the Triceratops:

A giant bat at Caufield’s Novelty:

A relaxed Lincoln:

The former Rocket Cleaner rocket. It originally had animated neon rings on top:

A five-story tall upturned bottle pours bourbon into a glass below at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience:

The former Bernheim Distillery, a whiskey bottling plant, has been boarded up since at least 2015:

The former WHAS radio transmitter building:

A concrete hyperbolic paraboloid next to the WAVE TV station:

A former Frostop:

A former McCrory’s department store:

The two Dairy Del ice cream stands:

The Barrel of Fun ice cream stand:

The Lucky Tavern is closed but this sign remains:

Al’s Bait House is also closed but this sign remains:

This wooden sign was uncovered in 2012 and has been preserved:

The Iroquois Manor Shopping Center:

Hauck’s was originally a general store — now a bar & restaurant:

This camera store sign in the parking lot is intact…:

… while its storefront sign has been adapted at least a couple of times:

The Collier’s Court neon sign and its taller/later/former Superior Motel sign

And lastly, the restored Teamsters Union Hall sign at the back of the building in its protective cage:

Back to Indiana for the next post.

Happy Trails & Happy Thanksgiving!
dj & the dogs

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Let’s start with this giant cow at the Crossroad Farms Dairy in Indianapolis. Three pages of this “left-leg-forward” type at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/critters/cowsleft.html

The Mr. Bendo in Indianapolis which used to hold a muffler:

This giant Converse sneaker is in Columbus:

This Tiffany lamp is inside the more than amazing Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor from 1900 in Columbus:

This Poco the Oil Drop car is in Edinburgh:

Expo Bowl in Indianapolis (now a Royal Pin) has two giant pins and a nifty plastic sign:

This former Stuckey’s gas station & convenience store is in Edinburgh:

The Barton Tower apartment building is in Indianapolis:

The Oasis Diner, a 1954 Mountain View, is in Plainfield:

The Artcraft Theatre is in Franklin:

The closed Reed Drapery Service is in Indianapolis:

The former Wonder Bread plant sign is in Indianapolis:

This former Dog n Suds sign is in Indianapolis:

The Land o Nod Motel is in Franklin. The candle’s flame had two-part animation:

The Columbus Bar is in Columbus:

This sign in Columbus is from 1981:

This sign in Indianapolis remains a mystery. It is installed on the former G.C. Murphy department store building but I believe it came from somewhere else and was adapted:

This sign in Indianapolis was built and installed at the White Rabbit Cabaret in 2010:

This sign in Plainfield originally had a Superior Motel affiliation and a mass-produced plastic top panel like this one in Indianapolis:

This sign is at Mike’s Speedway Lounge in Indianapolis. It was obviously adapted from a previous business but, after much searching, I don’t know what it was:

Lastly, one of a few surviving and adapted Roselyn’s Bakery signs in Indianapolis. The sign would have looked similar to this one originally (minus the readerboard, with the little girl in the plastic panel on top). Vintage photo snagged from this webpage with the defunct bakery’s history: https://historicindianapolis.com/roselyn-bakeries/

Back soon with even more Indiana – about five more days worth.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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Let’s start with this bronze tribute to Larry Bird in Terre Haute:

This cougar statue in Roachdale at the North Putnam Middle School was one of about 14 made for Lincoln Mercury dealerships to advertise for their Mercury Cougar cars. I believe only 6 survive — at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/critters/cats.html

These draft horses were produced with tractor inner tube tires over a frame — at Boot City in Terre Haute:

This giant bowling pin is at the Terre Haute Bowling Center in Terre Haute. Many more of these pins at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/mim/sports2.html

A former Tastee-Freez in Brazil – identifiable by that curved roof in front of the take-out window:

This is one of two Dairy Queens in Terre Haute with neon rooftop letters:

This theatre is in Rockville:

The Musical Arts Center below is at Indiana University in Bloomington:

This former First Church of God in Bloomington was used by the University for a while but I believe it’s vacant now:

This sign in Redkey disappeared around 2013 when the station closed — my 2010 photo below:

I had been told that it was moved to the station in Putnamville. However, I don’t know think it ever was. This sign there appears to be new and has a different shape, letters, tubing holes, etc.:

The former Von Lee Cinema (now restaurant and shops) in Bloomington:

This sign is in Greencastle:

A Big Red Liquors (the only one of many that I know of that has a vintage sign – though it might be from the early 1970s) in Bloomington:

Let’s close with Mason’s Root Beer in Washington. Mason’s Root Beer was mass-produced and seems to be a defunct brand. This drive-in still uses the name and produces its own root beer now:

Back soon with even more Indiana – about six more days worth.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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Let’s start with this banana split boat in Anderson at the Uranus Fudge Factory:

… and this astronaut at the same place:

These flying moose statues are the mascots for Manac trailers. This one is in Lebanon:

This Pirate Cat Memorial is a tribute to a departed, community cat in Indianapolis:

A giant trowel at a former Habig garden store in Indianapolis — repainted for an event venue :

I believe this building in Indianapolis was originally a Buick dealership and then later became an A&P grocery store:

This building is in Anderson. It may have been used as an employment agency originally:

A restored former Pure Oil gas station in Indianapolis:

This former Phillips 66 in Indianapolis was deemed historic — so it was remodeled by putting a giant canopy right over the existing “batwing” canopy:

This former White Castle #3 in Indianapolis from 1927. It’s been vacant since at least 2019:

The Vogue Theatre in Indianapolis:

The Lebanon Armory in Lebanon:

The still-operating Frisch’s Big Boy in Anderson:

Originally, the Anderson House of Stone in Anderson. It became the House of Reagin in 1959:

This sign in Indianapolis is from around 2009:

This scaffold sign in Whitestown was built in 1958. The auto salvage business closed around 2004. In 2018, a new development was scheduled to take place with a hotel, apartments, “Wrecks Park,” and restoration of this sign. But those plans fell through.

This scaffold sign in Indianapolis is one of a pair of rooftop signs (one facing north, one facing south). There were originally “Hotel” letters on the right of both signs which were probably removed around 1983 when the building became apartments:

This 50-foot-tall Nesquik bunny sign was installed in Anderson in 2008 next to the Nestle plant on I-69:

This Buster Brown Shoes sign in Yorktown is part of a private collection installed in front of a residence. I don’t know where this sign came originally. The top appears to read “Shu Stop.” The bottom paint was readable as “X-Ray Fitting” a few years ago but I don’t know if that was the original wording:

This sign in Lafayette was built around 1963. Around 2022, the dealership moved, restored this sign, and installed it at the new location:

Syd’s Bar in Noblesville opened in 1945. This sign was probably installed in the 1950s:

The Toast Cafe in Anderson opened in 1954. Around 2018, this sign was “updated” by removing the neon and installing LED tubing. Here’s a 2010 photo that I took before that happened:

… and now. Note the crappy, wiggly lines of the LED on top (bordering and filling the letters) and on the bottom:

These signs on the Franklin Square Theatre building in Indianapolis were installed around 1994 when the building was developed for multiple businesses. I don’t know where the “Restaurant” sign came from but the “Bowling” sign was supposedly installed originally in Springfield, OH:

More Indiana coming soon.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

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Let’s start with this tin man in Muncie:

There are only three Frisch’s Big Boy restaurants left in Indiana and only two of them have the statues. This one is in Richmond:

The Uranus Fudge Factory in Richmond has two of these Rex Uranus statues:

This Trojan statue is in New Castle:

This giant basketball shoe is also in New Castle:

This giant candle is at the Warm Glow Candle Company in Centerville:

The store has added a garden shop and this watering can is on the roof:

This giant chair is at a furniture store in Richmond:

This former Sinclair gas station is also in Richmond:

The downtown Richmond Power & Light office (in Richmond):

And the corporate headquarters on the outskirts of town:

Sad as this little building in Muncie is, it’s one just a handful left from the nationwide Picture Island photo developing company. Yes, similar to the slightly larger/different roof/base planters Fotomat kiosks, you dropped off your film to have it turned into printed photographs. The universe has sure changed since then! There are only about four of these kiosks in New York and I believe this is the only one in Indiana.

This sign in Cambridge City as it looked originally – my photo from 2009:

Well, the name has changed and the nice corrugated panel replaced but at least the bottle and neon bubbles are still there:

This sign is in Winchester:

Also in Winchester — this nice tile mosaic sign over the ground floor:

Let’s close with this bowling alley is in Connersville:

I’ll be back soon with even more Indiana. I still have about a week’s worth to go.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s start with this concrete sculpture from Bluffton from 1936. There was originally an airplane gas station on the property but that’s been gone for many, many decades — but the tree lives! The only photo that I can find of it:

A knight at the Vandermark Sign Co. in Larwill:

This mastodon is at Purdue University in Fort Wayne – the home of the “Dons:”

The Strauss Building (now the Murphy Building) in Fort Wayne from 1908 got an early 1950s facade remodel. This penthouse residence and offices were added to the top of the building for A.M. Strauss:

This well-preserved Sunoco in North Manchester is STILL operating with modern pumps in front:

This Dairy Queen in Huntington has the only example of a sign with a sundae instead of a cone:

The Roller Dome in Fort Wayne list its freestanding rooftop letters a few years ago..:

… but it still has this funky fun sign:

City Glass in Fort Wayne has a wonderful vitrolite facade and a fantastic sign. This vintage (1950s?) shows the now-missing letters above the entrance… and that the stained glass in the windows was added later:

This fun 1960s? sign is in Columbia City:

This one in Huntington could use some paint but, thank god, those neon rings on top are still there:

This sign in Muncie was restored and moved around 2013 and is still looking good:

This sign was originally installed in Muncie for the Cintas uniform company. The guy in the truck was named “Tim” — my photo from 2009:

In 2020, the sign was adapted for Madjax and Tim got a new uniform:

I’m not a fan of the purple airbrushy background but I’m glad this sign in Fort Wayne is being taken care of. My 2009 photo:

… and now:

The neon on this sign in Fort Wayne was removed, tubing holes patched, and repainted recently:

This Humpty Dumpty Drive-in in Fort Wayne closed and was demolished decades ago but the sign remains:

This V.F.W. sign is also in Fort Wayne. This vintage photo shows the sign before the neon portion was boxed in and covered up with plexi and the “Fort Miami” was painted over:

and now:

The Bowling Center in Bluffton which had opened by 1947 was renamed EZ Bowl in 2018. Around 2024, the words “The” beneath the pins and “Center” below bowling were painted over:

This ice cream stand is in Albany. I think this sign may have been installed on the roof originally:

Let’s close with a couple of night photos from Muncie. Yes, these Arby’s hat signs are dwindling but I’ve still got a bunch from around the country at my website: https://www.roadarch.com/eateries/arbys3.html

These McDonald’s signs are even rarer. The only one left in situ besides this one in Muncie is in Green Bay, WI. Then, there are only three at museums (American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ford Museum in Dearborn, and the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka which is now in storage indefinitely).

I’ll be back soon with even more Indiana.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

This giant ear of corn is at the Wilson Farm Market in Arcadia:

This elephant statue in Peru was mass-produced by Plycrete. More of them at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/critters/ele.html#Barbour

This orangutan is in Delphi. More of these guys at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/critters/apes2.html#Olin

This praying mantis, named KokoMantis, is in Kokomo:

This pocket watch headstone is in Greentown:

This former Enco station is in Logansport:

The Caston School Corporation is in Rochester:

This sign is at the Triple XXX drive-in in West Lafayette:

This Masonic sign with backlit glass globes is in Fairmount:

This sign in Kokomo has rare embossed metal panels. Unfortunately, the neon is gone:

This former A&W in Logansport (that’s where the neon below came from, I think) is now a BK Root Beer drive-in. I’ve got 4 full pages of BK drive-ins here:
https://www.roadarch.com/eateries/rbeerbk.html

This one is in Kokomo:

Another big deal in Indiana: Penguin Point. All of their locations closed in 2023. Many are still vacant and some of the signs survive like this one in Plymouth. There was a neon penguin sign on top of the sign which is gone now.

One more big chain in Indiana: Pizza King. I’ve got a bunch here: https://www.roadarch.com/eateries/in2.html

This one is in Marion:

… and this one in Kokomo. This sign was at another location in town and when they moved, this sign was brought to the new place:

A one-off: Budge’s Drive-in in Lafayette:

Probably not all that old — but this one is in Rochester:

The Suburban Lanes in Tipton opened in 1960. By 2023, this loopy, cheap LED tubing was added to the pins:

Another one-off in Peru:

This one is at the New Moon Bar & Grill in Marion:

This one is at Best’s Bowling Center in Monticello:

The Himark is in Kokomo:

This sign is in Marion:

This sign is inside Grindstone Charley’s restaurant in Kokomo:

And lastly, a wonderful skeleton sign in Marion. Usually, these panel-less signs are installed in windows but maybe this one was always on the building:

Back soon with ever more Indiana.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s start with “Betsy the Bass” which is installed in 2016 over the entrance of Bass Lake Bait and Tackle in Bass Lake. It was purchased at auction when Lunker’s in Edwardsburg, MI closed. The head had been installed inside that store as if it was breaking out of a brick wall.

This banana in West Lafayette was installed as a sculpture at Granite, a property management company. When the city demanded it removed since it was considered a sign, it was moved to one of Granite’s pickup trucks:

This giant bike in North Judson is installed next to a bike trail:

This hand is installed in Pickett Park in West Lafayette:

This former Pure Oil gas station is also in West Lafayette:

This drive-in (M.E.L.S. at the Starlite Drive-In Theatre) is in Thorntown:

Don’s Drive-in (now closed) in Kentland was originally a Tastee-Freez:

This giant table, chairs, turkey, and milk bottle are installed alongside I-65 as advertising for Fair Oaks Farms, in Fair Oaks:

These painted concrete blocks are at the Bowl-Away Lanes in Knox:

This stained glass Masonic Lodge sign is in Bremen:

A much older stained glass Masonic Lodge sign in Frankfort:

A restored American Legion sign in Nappanee:

This B&K from the 1950s is in Knox. I have three pages devoted to B&K Root Beer locations at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/eateries/rbeerbk.html

This wonderful sign in Lafayette now has loopy, cheap LED tubing draped all over the neon:

A modern neon sign in Covington at Hargan Fuel and Wash:

This sign is at the now closed Mayflower Tavern in Plymouth:

Let’s close with a close-up of one of the neon signs at the Original Frozen Custard in Lafayette:

Back soon with more Indiana.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

More Indiana coming soon…

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Let’s start off with this Dairy Sweet in Grabill, IN which opened in the 1950s. There were (and still are) lots of related Dairy Sweet stands in Iowa and Nebraska which I have at my website. But I don’t believe this one is connected. It was probably just an independent business like so many stands named Dairy Treat, Dari Sweet, etc. that were or never were Dairy Queens.

A former Dog n Suds in Mishawaka, IN with the chain’s unique V-shaped shaped canopy roofs and slanted poles. The used car lot business that was here is gone so it’s nice to be able to get an unobstructed shot.

This post office in Elkhart, IN is from 1965:

A motor bank in Mishawaka, IN:

The Indiana Associated Telephone Corp. in Elkhart, IN which appears to be from the 1940s — vintage postcard:

and now:

The mid-century modern addition on the right:

Olympia Candies in Goshen, IN opened in 1912:

The interior still has the original tin ceiling, lamps, candy cases, and some booths in the back:

This former theatre in South Bend, IN is now office space:

Flags International was built in 1978 in Osceola, IN:

These curved canopies are at the Gallops Truck Center’s Shell station in Kendallville, IN — built in 2020:

One of my fave features at vintage Putt-Putts — this one in Mishawaka, IN:

The Lerner Theatre in Elkhart, IN became the Elco Theatre around 1935 and these letters were installed on top of the marquee readerboards. By 2011, the theatre returned to the original Lerner name and a new marquee and blade sign were installed. One set of the Elco letters was restored and put in the ground-level window:

This business in Elkhart, IN opened in 1971 and the sign appears to be from then:

The Shady Brook Motel in Elkhart opened around 1955 and this sign was probably installed then or in the 1960s. The neon was removed by 2010. Around 2017, the sign was repainted and “Motel” was changed to “Properties LLC”:

The sole-surviving Bonnie Doon Drive-in is in Mishawaka, IN:

This one is in South Bend, IN:

Another Elkhart sign:

Let’s close with just a couple of the signs inside the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, IN:

More Indiana coming soon…

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Settle in. There will be about two weeks of posts from Indiana. There was a quickie trip across the border into Michigan for some stops in Niles. For instance, to shoot this tin man at the entrance to mobile home park. Yes, I have two pages at my website full of tin men statues: https://roadarch.com/giants/tinmen.html

Here’s “Howie” in Munster, IN. These bulls with their heads cocked to the right, horns wrapping below their ears, and often (always – came with?) with chef’s hats. Sorry about those power lines:

This giant box of popcorn is at ChicagoLand Popcorn in Merrillville, IN:

This former Frostop root beer mug from Valaparaiso was moved to Westville, IN and adapted as a mug of beer:

This former Hot ‘n Now in Michigan City, IN now houses a Mexican food restaurant:

This former Pure Oil gas station in La Porte, IN has been vacant for a while:

This Valentine diner in Michigan City, IN is being restored as the Brew Box, a coffee place:

That was my photo from June — so here’s a photo from the Economic Development Corp of Michigan City taken in September:

The former E. C. Minas department store parking garage in Hammond, IN with a pebbled concrete screen was built 1960:

This long abandoned building is in Gary, IN. I have no info about the original use:

This Frosty Boy (part of a chain) is in Michigan City, IN:

The Flannery’s Tavern sign in Chesterton, IN could use some paint:

This sign in Gary, IN has been missing its neon since forever. Here’s a photo from GoogleStreet View in 2023:

Then, last year, it was restored with LED tubing:

This towering sign in Hammond, IN was installed around 2001:

This Miller Bakery sign is in Gary, IN remains. Tiny’s Coffee Bar now occupies the space below:

Griffith Furniture opened in Griffith, IN in 1963. This sign sure looks more 1950s which makes me wonder if it wasn’t adapted. Here’s my photo from 2009:

The store had closed by 2008. In 2013, it was adapted for Griffith Billiards. The vertical letters are now backlit plastic but the rest of the neon, bulbs, and Federal tags remain:

These two signs at Al & Sally’s are in Michigan City, IN:

This sign on the roof of the train station in Beverly Shores, IN was installed by 1946:

This sign is inside the Portillo’s restaurant in Merrillville, IN. I have no idea where the bowling alley was originally:

This restaurant is long gone but this sign remains in Gary, IN:

And, lastly, this sign in Niles, MI. Yes, those rolling neon balls were originally animated. More about this sign (and a section with hundreds of other bowling signs) at my website here: https://roadarch.com/sca/bowling4.html#Shula

More Indiana coming soon…

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram