Let’s pick back up with the SCA section (Society for Commercial Archeology article companion pages). I powered through all the remaining pages of this special signs section and have a jam-packed post below. Break out the Kleenex. By the way, you’ll find all of the SCA pages here: https://www.roadarch.com/sca/main.html

From the Pancakes Signs page. This restaurant in Toledo, OH moved around 2023 and the latest 2024 StreetView shows that these signs did not make the move. Here’s what the pole sign looked like in my 2011 photo:

It got a crappy repaint around 2021 and the bulbs in the channel letters were replaced with either neon or LED. The old-school top panel got ditched and painted instead:

The pole sign is still there, sans oval panel and channel letters, awaiting what will likely be some sort of adapting by the next biz. I’m not optimistic:

The rooftop sign was gone by 2022:

There are two kinda/sorta “tribute” signs at the new location… but meh:

From the Pizza Chef Signs page. This sign in Killeen, TX has been adapted for another business (and not in a good way). Here’s what it looked like previously. Note the animated pizza-tossing:

… and now it’s a Mexican restaurant. At least the bulb arrow and building are still there:

From the Mortar & Pestle Signs section — this sign in Willow Creek CA is gone now:

This store in Meeker, CO closed in 2022 and the sign and vitrolite facade are gone now. The cafe sign next door remains:

From the Shoe & Boot Signs pages. This business in Yankton, SD moved to a new location in 2023:

Before hanging up the sign at the new place, it was painted gray and “updated” with plastic letters (ugh!!):

This boot sign in Perryton, TX looks like it was destroyed in a tornado in 2023:

Moving on to Sputnik Signs. The Lucky Liquor store in Shreveport, LA has been demolished and this sign is gone:

The C-152 Lectra in Hardeeville, SC is gone now:

From the Shopping Center Signs section. I never got to shoot this one in Salem, AR but it disappeared last year:

The Color Corner sign in Lakewood, CA:

was “updated” by the latest 2024 StreetView Map with LED letters and tubing. The oval panel on top is also missing:

This sign in Memphis, TN is gone now:

From the Donut Signs section. The former Mister Donut sign in Winter Haven, FL…

… was apparently battered by Hurricane Ian. I doubt they’ll replace it with the W-shaped top panel which mimicked the original building’s sawtooth shape:

This sign for Gourdough’s Public House in Austin, TX was built around 2012. The business closed in 2022 and this sign is gone now. The restaurant featured burgers between sliced doughnuts rather than buns:

I haven’t shot this giant doughnut at Sunshine Doughnuts in Burlington, ON yet but I didn’t see it at my most recent map link after this shot at Google Street View:

Which led me to find this bit of news from 2023. Frosting side down! Kind of a miracle it didn’t hit anything or anybody. The good news is that it will be repaired and reinstalled. Photo from this article:
https://www.insidehalton.com/news/our-national-landmark-will-be-back-fallen-burlington-doughnut-won-t-stay-down-for-long/article_4ab50991-a41d-5c7a-8d49-32f4451a1aaf.html

Moving on to the Bowling Signs section. This sign in Texarkana, AR is gone now:

Replaced with this sad piece of… plastic:

This sign in Fort Wayne, IN is gone now:

This bowling alley in Columbus, OH closed in 2022 and this sign is gone now:

The Lincoln-Way Lanes in York, PA were demolished in 2023 and this sign is gone:

This sign in Bristol, TN is gone now. It was replaced with a boring sign for another bowling alley (Strikz @ Bristol) which has closed:

In 2023, this bowling alley in Donelson, TN was demolished and this sign was gone:

Around 2023, this bowling alley in Whitewater, WI was demolished and the sign is now gone:

The Classic Lanes in Powell, WY has closed and this sign is gone:

From the Scaffold Signs section. I haven’t gotten a photo of this one in Queens, NY yet but GSV shows it still there in 2022. By 2024, the rooftop sign for the Queens County Savings Bank was gone and the letters on the building were covered with signs for “Flagstar”:

And, lastly, I never to to shoot this one either in Medicine Hat, AB. Both signs are gone now as the place is now a Ramada Inn:

I’ll be back next time with some buildings and other things.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

From the Dinosaurs section, this sculpture in Huntsville, AR has been painted many different colors over the years. Here’s a photo I took in 2019:

And here he is now from StreetView:

A fourth dinosaur on a trailer has been added to the group at the Tourist Information Center in Clayton, NM and they were repainted around last year. Here are the three of them in 2012:

and what StreetView shows now (note that the broken Triceratops horn has also been repaired):

From the Department Store section. There are always a few Woolworth or Kress buildings that get demolished every year when I do this project — but not this year! This Kress building in Gadsden, AL was restored recently with the siding removed above the ground floor and the original curved entrances revealed. From 2010:

and from the 2024 StreetView:

The Kress building in Brunswick, GA has been through a lot. In 1958, the store expanded and created a continuous look from the two buildings with this facade — my photo from 2009:

In 2019, the decision was made to unmerge the spaces and in 2024 this is the result. Why, oh, why those dark gray tiles? OK – I do give them credit for reproducing the sign at least:

The ugly facade on the Kress building in Laurel, MS:

is being restored:

On to a bunch of signs — sorry, pretty much all bad news — from the SCA article companion pages. The actual signs section will come much later in these posts since I always start with the smaller sections and work my way to the huge sections.

From the Camera Signs page: this former Idaho Camera sign in Boise, ID is gone now. The store closed in 2020 and the sign was adapted (my photo below). The building was demolished last year:

Street View shows what the sign looked like originally:

I emailed Vangie Osborn, THE person responsible for saving Boise signs, and she sent me a photo of YESCO removing that sign and its tripod-shaped poles. It’s safely stored at the Yanke Machine Shop for now – along with the company’s earlier neon sign:

From the Cars Signs page: the Coachbuilt Motors sign in Columbus, OH is gone now:

From the Diving Woman Signs page: the remaining diver panel in Jacksonville, FL and the poles that supported it are is gone now. I hope someone saved the plastic panel. The original sign from late 1950s/early 1960s:

The 1960s sign version – my photo from 2009:

A close-up of the diver from 2021:

The Villa Capri Motel in Coronado, CA is opening as a boutique hotel, The Bower, in February. The diver is now on the side of the building and the text sign is now next to the top floor bar:

From the Flames Signs page: these cute signs in Clairton, PA are gone now. The restaurant closed last year and the sign were promptly replaced with boring modern backlit plastic signs for Steel Grill 51:

This sign in Sioux Falls, SD is also gone. The business moved last year and I don’t see the sign at the new location:

This relatively recent sign (2009ish?) in San Jose, CA…

…was hideously adapted last year:

This sign in Carmichael, CA is gone now:

From the Working Men Signs page — this sign next to I-95 in Twin Oaks, PA which advertised for the AmQuip Crane Rental business is gone. Just the brown pole remains.

That’s enough for one post. For the next one, I still have 74 pages in the SCA Signs section to comb and then I’ll be moving on to other sections.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

This will be the first of many posts where I’ll share the “news” from all the Google Street View Maps at my website. For those of you that might be new to this, I’ll include my photos and a snippet of whatever happened from the GSVM. I start with the small sections and work up to the mega sections (e.g., eateries, gas stations, signs, and midcentury modern buildings) at the end. I have powered through 341 pages so far. These sections are done: Paul Bunyans, Statue Collections, Tiki Buildings, Teepee Buildings, Egyptian Revival Buildings, Bottling Plants, and Fairy Tale & Santa Parks. There was, miraculously, nothing noteworthy enough to report from those sections. But I do have some things to report from some other sections.

From the Giant Containers section, here are some changes worth including. The former Grain Belt Beer bottle in St. Paul, MN was installed many decades ago and looked like this since at least the early 2000s:

From the 2024 StreetView: the bottle was repainted for the Clutch Brewing Co. It didn’t have the water droplets or three-dimensionality but it’s nice to see it got some love. The Clutch brewery opened in 2019 and closed in 2023. So, maybe this bottle will, too, become equally faded over the next many years:

This former Perky’s Espresso chain building in Lakewood, WA has been remodeled into a boring box with no coffee pot features. Here it is in 2016:

It’s been a bad year for milk cartons. This one in Mount Airy, NC is gone now:

And so is this one in Jacksonville, NC:

And so is this one Portland, OR:

And this one in Grand Forks, ND — also gone:

A couple of sad things to mention from the Bus Stations section. This building in Detroit, MI was demolished last year:

This former bus station in Lubbock, TX is now housing The City Church and this sign has been removed:

From the Drive-in Movie Theatre section: the screen tower at the Spud Drive-in in Driggs, ID was destroyed by a storm in 2022. However, there are still plans to rebuild and reopen later this year. I’m sure the screen tower won’t be this lovely old wooden structure though. The truck with the potatoes, missing from the property right now, will be restored.

This former drive-in sign was installed on private property in Miles City, MT when I shot it in 2022. It’s now gone. Maybe it was sold to someone else and will reappear someday:

Moving on to the Giant Food section. This apple in Winchester, VA might have been moved somewhere else in town:

This apple in Bayfield, WI is also missing:

This giant burger in Suring, WI is gone:

This Twistee Treat building in Bellaire, TX…:

… has been remodeled for a burger place:

From the Tire Store section: this sign in Russellville, AR is gone:

The former Firestone in Oakland, CA was adapted for a CVS drug store in 2015 and then closed in 2022:

It’s boarded up now and covered with graffiti:

Similarly, the boarded-up former Firestone in Toledo, OH looks like this now:

The former Firestone scaffold sign in Miami, FL is missing. Here’s the original sign:

When Walgreens moved into the building in 2001, they replaced the letters with their own:

StreetView shows the sign missing entirely. I’ve done much internet prowling but I haven’t been able to find out what happened. An internet friend suggested it might have been damaged during Hurricane Irma and removed. But Irma happened in 2017 and the sign on the roof still looked fine in 2023. I strongly doubt that it will be replaced:

Both of these neon Firestone signs in Minot, ND are gone now:

The Firestone Building in Albuquerque, NM has been adapted for the Ex Novo Brewing Co. which opened last year. Here’s one of my photos from 2021:

Street View doesn’t show the end result yet but the photos I’ve seen look much like this schematic:

And lastly: the Firestone neon scaffold sign in Akron, OH was removed in 2020 before the building was demolished:

It wound up moving about a block away at the “Advanced Tire Production Center” in town but it’s now LED and it just doesn’t have the elegance without the scaffolding:

There are still about 3,000 pages to go. So, there will be many, many posts to come. I’m hoping to be done with this project by the summer trip but maybe not.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

I decided to make one extra long post to include the final day of Illinois and some brief stops from the two days heading home. The 33-day trip “stats” are included at the end of this post.

Let’s start with this wood-carved spine in front of a chiropractor’s office in Palatine, IL:

I think all or most of the Chicago area Weber Grill restaurants have these giant grills. This one is in Schaumburg, IL (taken in the pouring rain):

These statues have been at BlondZee’s Steak House in Lake Havasu City, AZ for decades. That’s Orbit watching me from the dash on the right:

Same place — with two of these cow heads — more examples of these around the country at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/critters/cowsheads.html

On to some buildings — Rand Red Hots in Des Plaines, IL:

There are two of these abandoned bathhouses (with spiral staircase lifeguard towers) in Illinois State Beach Park in Zion, IL:

The former Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Des Plaines, IL has been converted into The Foxtail on the Lake Restaurant. The kept most of the interior including the stained glass:

A detail from the Art Deco City Hall in Vinita, OK:

The Orpheum Theatre in Hillsboro, IL:

Moving on to some signs. 1st Shoe Repair is still operating in Waukegan:

This was originally Vince’s Pizzeria in Wheeling, IL. When the name changed back in the 1960s, they cut out that spot of the panel to replace it with “Joe’s”:

This one is in Des Plaines, IL:

The Del Rio Restaurant is in Highland Park, IL:

This sign is at City Auto Sales in Park City, IL. The sign has only been there for a few years. I don’t know where it was originally:

B&L Liquors is in Wheeling, IL:

Let’s close up with some Arizona signs. Rod’s Steak House in Williams has been closed for a few years now but its many signs remain. Everybody shoots the neon steer signs so let’s show the parking lot sign:

Lastly, the four signs below are in Kingman — all modern but worth including:

Some Stats

During this 33-day trip, I drove 14,674 miles and spent $3,122 on gas. That’s an average of 444.7 miles per day from sun-up to sun-down with only pee breaks for me and the dogs. Since I started this website 25 years ago, I have spent about $76,000 on gas and driven more than 550,000 miles (with 3 different vans). Let’s just say, that’s a significant amount of my income. If you ever want to make a donation to my cause, there’s a spot at the top of every page of my website that says “Feed Me” with a PayPal link that goes to my email address (roadarch@outlook.com).

What’s Next

Now that the ~4,000 photos from this summer trip are all up at my website, it’s time for the exhausting but necessary winter project. I comb every page poking at those thousands of map links to find out what’s been removed, remodeled, demolished, repainted, etc. and update my descriptions. I also post to this blog on a regular basis throughout this process with the more noteworthy “discoveries.” So, you’ll be hearing from me soon enough (and for many months) but it will probably be more tragedies than good news.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s start with some animal statues. This one (with little smaller versions at his feet) is in Beloit, WI. I shot a nearly identical one (just different paint) in Flora, IL. Google Lens turned up a bunch around the country and for sale. The have the same biscuit in their moths, the gravity-defying ears, funky feet, and super skinny tails. I don’t know who made these — probably just mass-produced in China or some such but they look very much like Patrick Amiot’s recycled metal sculptures — examples at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/collect/4.html#Amiot

This bronze “Babysitter” sculpture is installed in front of the Boone County Fairgrounds in Belvidere:

This fiberglass Daffy Duck statue was produced by Warner Brothers for one of their stores and is now installed inside the Volo Auto Museum in Volo:

This fiberglass Bulldog is installed in front of the high school in Durand. There are identical statues in Beloit, WI, Winslow, AZ, and maybe elsewhere:

This fiberglass chicken statue was installed on the roof of the Henny Penny restaurant in McHenry. The building now houses a vet but the statue remains. There are a few other surviving statues like this still on display around the country:

This “Magical Thinking” sculpture is in Rockford:

Moving on to some buildings. This modular parking kiosk with ticket machines in Rockford appears to be mid-century:

The M&M Dari-Ripple is in South Beloit. While it may look suspiciously like a Tastee-Freez building, it never was:

This Frostie Freeze is in Janesville, WI. There’s another nearly identical building, same letters and paint, in Fort Atkinson, WI:

This fireworks store in Beloit, WI was built for the Harvey House restaurant chain. The illustration below shows the concept for the location in Topeka, KS which is still there but repurposed:

This building in Loves Park was a former Carvel ice cream stand. More examples of these buildings and info about the chain at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/eateries/carvel.html

A former Taco Bell in Waukegan. More photos and info about these early buildings at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/eateries/tbell.html

Moving on to the signs. This one is at a check cashing place in Rockford:

This sign hangs above By the Dozen bakery in Harvard:

This sign is in Janesville, WI:

This bar sign is in Loves Park:

This shoe store in Beloit, WI closed just a couple months after I took this photo. Everything was auctioned off including this sign for $100!

The neon popping cork feature on this sign in Belvidere has been broken for many years. I assume it was animated:

How about a few bowling signs? This one is also in Belvidere:

This one is in Loves Park. There were at least three other identical signs with different names in nearby cities for other bowling alleys owned by the same company:

This single-sided sign is in South Beloit:

And this one is in Woodstock. If you like this theme, I have 11 chockfull pages of bowling signs at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/sca/bowling.html

This still-operating Dog n Suds is in Ingleside:

This sign is in Harvard:

Lastly, this beauty is in Belvidere:

There will be two more posts for this trip: one for the last bit of Illinois and then another for some photos taken during the long trek home.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s dive right in with some buildings. This former Prince Castle in Dixon now houses B.B.Y. Chicken & Carry Out:

What’s a Prince Castle, you may ask? They were a 1950s era Illinois ice cream shop chain with at least 20 of these castle style buildings. I think there are only about five of these buildings left (and none of the ice cream shops anymore) here’s a vintage image from Oak Lawn (building & sign gone):

This former Dog n Suds is in Oregon:

This theatre is in Sterling:

The glass on the tower is lit in different colors for holidays & special events. An example from their Facebook page:

This little windmill building in Moline was built in 1934 as a gas station. It had been abandoned for years and the blades of the windmill were long gone. Just a couple weeks after I took this photo, the tree behind it fell over in a tornado and destroyed the building. Shoot ’em while you can folks:

This former gas station is in Rock Island:

This statue in DeKalb was part of the Huskies on Parade civic art project — yes, Huskies is how NIU (Northern Illinois University) spells it:

This frightening shark is installed in front of the closed Cajun Jack’s Bar & Grill in Elizabeth:

This waving pig chef and meat market steer are installed on the roof Lena Maid Meats in Lena. There are a bunch of these waving pigs (and dozens of these steers) around the country. The pigs at my website are here:
https://www.roadarch.com/critters/pigs.html

This chicken car is located in Freeport. The head and tail were previously installed on an old Cadillac at Larz Chicken Shack (gone now). More chicken cars can be found at my site here: https://www.roadarch.com/critters/birdscars.html

This sculpture in Sycamore pays tribute to this local legend and founder of the Pumpkin Festival:

This buff Ronald Reagan on horseback sculpture is in Dixon:

Speaking of Dixon, let’s segue to the signs portion of this post. There has been a welcome arch here in various forms since 1919. More welcome signs here: https://www.roadarch.com/sca/welcome.html

This former neon sign (tubing holes patched since forever) is in Rock Falls. The store is still operating:

This sign is at a former antiques store in Galena. Kohler’s was in Lombard:

This sign is in Freeport (naturally):

This Masonic Lodge sign with backlit glass globes is in Rochelle:

This Fraternal Order of Eagles sign with metal letters and neon is in Moline:

This sign is in Rochelle:

This sign in Polo is displayed inside the American Legion Post’s front window. It was evidently a hanging, double-sided sign:

This sign in Moline was restored at some point and covered with plexi panels to protect the neon tubing:

This wooden sign in Freeport at the incredible Union Dairy was installed in 2014 as part of the celebrations of the ice cream shop’s 100th year anniversary. This sign is currently being repainted:

This Rock Island Railroad sign was built around 2021 for a private collector in Davenport, IA. It was sold and now hangs on the side of the Rayz’s Barber building in Rock Island. The inspiration was this long-gone sign from Minneapolis:

This sign was built by “Mid-Century Sign Company” which has done some incredible recreations: https://www.facebook.com/MidCenturySign/photos_by

Last photo for this post — from Galena:

There are two more full days of Illinois left on this trip before I started the trek home. So, another 3-ish posts to come.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Lots of rain and grey plagued me in early July and I had to sit the shooting out for a bit. So, I’m doubling up these less productive two days for this post.

I hopped across the border briefly to shoot some things in nearby Burlington, IA like these giant chairs at Furniture Row:

This giant cone, draped with ugly LED rope, stands outside the Arrow Cafe (recently the Twist & Shout) in Oquawka:

This Mighty Mouse riding an elephant in Malta was previously installed at a car wash Round Lake Beach. Before that, it’s unknown. There was one in Benson, NH built for Mighty Mouse Playworld. That one was later moved to Magic Forest in Lake George, NY before it was sold to a private collector. This statue was built from the same mold, supposedly FAST in Sparta, WI. So, there were definitely two of these and possibly others will turn up:

These meerkats are in Annawan at Paxton’s Corner Coop where there are lots of other statues:

This astronaut is from the same place. There are little steps behind it so that you can stick your face inside the helmet for those photo-ops:

This Mr. Spock/Star Trek Vulcan inspired chainsaw-carved hand salute is in front of a house in Peru:

This Wild Bill Hickock sculpture is installed in Troy Grove on the street where he was born:

This sad former Phillips 66 gas station is in Little York has looked like this since at least 2008. The chimney was starting to crumble so at least they put siding on it:

A detail from the elaborate Washington Theatre in Quincy:

Also in Quincy — St. Boniface Church, just another midcentury modern John Benya masterpiece:

While this dome homein Somonauk appears to be midcentury, it was built in 2002:

This Tastee-Freez from 1950 is in Spring Valley:

The former Anguish & Wolfenbarger Ford dealership has these painted ghost signs on both sides of the building in Dallas City:

Here are a couple of other great ghost signs that thankfully have NOT been repainted (call me a purist, but I hate that!) –from Galesburg:

and from Buda:

This metal sign with the embossed Sherwin-Williams globe is in Monmouth. The vines have either died or been cut back because this one was half-covered just a few years ago:

A modern neon sign from Peru:

The former Paramount Club in La Salle. Note that the name on the sign is misspelled on both sides at the top but they got it right on the later plastic panel below. Those green porcelain panels on the right with the musical notes that form the very abstracted arrow and cover the other sign pole used to extend all the way down to the ground:

This one is from Quincy. The hotel is apartments now but The Patio restaurant has reopened and looks pretty fancy. I’m glad they didn’t ditch this sign:

These stainless steel letters in Quincy are installed on the corner and over all the entrances. This former Durst Brothers Sunshine Dairy is now a Prairie Farms Dairy but the letters and glass block remain:

This sign was originally installed in Kewanee where it advertised for a cleaners. My photo from 2009:

The cleaners closed around 2016 and the sign was moved to Langley where it has been adapted:

Strangely enough, this sign’s design seems to be a near-match for this one in Columbus, OH:

This sign is in Hinckley. Unfortunately, someone repainted the letters on the top panel which created the streaks over the porcelain enamel. From the miracles I’ve seen in the past, this could be fixed with some buffing:

This place in Bureau burned down in 2020 and it seems very unlikely that it will be rebuilt. The sign is now being taken over by vegetation. You can barely see the white arrowhead at the bottom:

This sign in Mendota has been missing its neon for decades but it looks like the restaurant is still bustling:

A farmer’s cooperative sign in Earlville. There are only a handful of these signs left in the country and, of those, most have metal instead of plastic faces. This one has one of the company’s unique sign poles as well:

This sign is in La Salle. In my notes now as a “reshoot” for better weather someday:

This one which is also in La Salle is a real mystery. Despite my internet prowling, I have no idea what type of business this was. I’ve emailed some historical groups and people in town and hope to get an answer but have not heard anything back:

The last item for this point is from DeKalb. The pink neon and the skeleton sign in the window are still maintained. But I don’t think the bulbs are lit:

There are five more days to go on this trip. I’ll be back soon with another Illinois batch.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

What better way to spend the holidays than working on my website? I’ve got another day’s batch all uploaded to my website. So, here’s another post before the New Year.

Yes, that’s Abraham Lincoln reading a book while on horseback. This one is in Petersburg. There’s another one of these in Midland, MI:

This chainsaw-carved woodpecker is installed waaaaay up on the water tower in Peoria Heights:

This brand new sign in Beardstown with a giant soccer ball:

This stainless steel tree sculpture in Morton was funded by local donors (their names are on the leaves):

This vitrolite storefront is in Rushville. The “Bakers” sign was obviously added later. I’ve dug like crazy and can’t find the original jewelry store name:

This former Phillips 66 gas station in in Beardstown. The building to the right out of frame is a freestanding service bay building — also for the Phillips 66:

The streamline moderne Earnest Chatten House in Quincy:

This former Standard Oil gas station in Macomb now houses a gun shop:

The barrel canopied Clayberg Nursing Center in Cuba:

The Quincy Regional Airport was one of the most amazing stops on this entire five-week trip. If you’re even half as crazy about midcentury modern buildings as I am — and you have plans to visit Quincy — I recommend this great little guide: https://seequincy.com/guides/mid-mod-quincy/

This overhead photo from the Herald-Whig newspaper gives you a clue of the complete building design. The orange circle over on the left is a nice little rooftop, hangout spot with tables. And those blue shapes are the skylights shown in my photo below:

This theatre is in Chillicothe:

This former A&W “pilgrim hat” is in Pekin:

This terrazzo apron is in Quincy:

I believe this is the only surviving Ford Hopkins Drugs sign even though there were about 300 locations in the Midwest. It’s in Macomb although the store itself is long gone:

They were pretty classy inside — each one had a “tea room” with an extensive menu:

This one in South Bend, IN:

This sign is at the still-operating location in Quincy — part of a Midwest chain but this sign was either unique or the only one left:

Speaking of chains… this “skinny M” McDonald’s sign in Quincy has an updated panel with a horrific graphic display panel:

This sign in Macomb is a replica sign — built around 2014. The business was founded in 1908 and is still chugging along:

This sign is above the marquee at the former Illinois Theatre in Macomb:

This sign is installed in Petersburg. The sign came from another Rexall store and the name on top was changed to Potter:

This is one of those glass half-full/empty stories. One of the best Federal Electric sectional, bulb signs out there is/was in Quincy. The rectangular letters have odd-shaped spacer porcelain enamel mini panels so that this sign could be built on a curve. Here’s a photo I took in 2009:

Granted, there were chips and rust… to be expected for a 110-year old sign… (built 1911 or 1912). But in 2022, I was saddened to the core to see that the sign had been painted over! That’s no way to treat porcelain enamel and a sign as important as this one. Each of the letters had the little patent letters at the bottom and the detailed borders – now GONE! Here’s an example of what I mean from this nicely-preserved sign in Idaho Springs, ID (TG — indoors!):

Welp. Here’s what the sign looks like now. White borders, no longer navy blue. I guess it could be worse… or gone. For more about these signs, see my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/sca/federal.html

On to happier things. Like this Masonic Lodge sign in Macomb:

This rooftop sign is in Virginia at the My Little Mexico (formerly Depot Diner). I think this sign was there before the Depot Diner but all of my internet prowling came up dry:

And lastly — this cutie in West Peoria was installed around 2017. There was a boring plastic text sign there before that. The truckbed originally moved up and down – wasn’t moving though when I was there in July:

That’s a wrap for now. Back in the New Year with more. About six more posts to come.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Another mostly sunny, productive day. So, another big post.

Let’s start with “Wee Willy the Wolf” in Aroma Park who’s been installed in front of the fire department since at least 2008. They’ve given him his own helmet and boots:

This lion sculpture is on top of the monument sign at the Municipal Bank in Momence. There is another one in Bourbonnais which I’ll have to shoot this coming summer:

This bulldog is installed next to the Animal Wellness Center in Monee:

This giant pumpkin is in Minooka:

These giant burgers are at Joey’s Red Hots in Orland Park:

This neon draped cone is at the Dixie Delite in St. Anne:

This giant potted plant in Kankakee is installed at a community garden. Rainwater is collected by the leaves which can be accessed by the spigots below:

This former Dog n Suds drive-in is in Crest Hill:

The Mar Theatre is in Wilmington:

This former train station in Peoria now houses city offices:

This long-vacant building in Lockport has an opal glass letter sign. More about these signs at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/sca/opal.html

Although some letters are missing, you can get a clear idea of how these letters were illuminated: square glass plates of each raised letter were placed behind the metal panels. Then a wire with bulbs was lit behind the panels:

The Pontiac Daily Leader newspaper building in Pontiac has several of these mosaic murals which depict the history of printing.

Moving on to a big batch of signs. This one is in Dwight:

This business in Kankakee is long gone but the sign is still hanging:

This rooftop sign is in Marseilles is for the former Thompson Hotel:

This sign is at the Rescue Mission in Peoria:

This sign is installed above the plastic box sign for Southwest Auto Salvage in Lockport:

This sign is in Kankakee:

Boz Hot Dogs was a small Chicago area chain. There are still about six locations left but only a few old signs. This one is in Morris:

An example of the mass-produced General Electric 3-panel signs with arrows in Bradley. The bulbs are still chasing:

This still-operating restaurant is in Joliet:

This sign is in Washington:

And lastly — this still-operating restaurant is in Crest Hill:

A close-up of the bubbling champagne glass:

I’ll be back in the new year with more.

Happy Holidays & Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

This was one of the most productive days of the trip. I’ve got a nice big batch of highlights.

Just a couple of fiberglass statues at the American Giants Museum in Atlanta. This “professional” had a motorized waving arm which rotated at the elbow:

A restored Mortimer Snerd — more about these guys at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/giants/ifsnerds.html

A giant fiberglass bass in Decatur. It was a fishing tackle shop but now a bar occupies the building and the fish remains:

This seal was originally installed in a fountain at the Bel-Aire Motel in Springfield. The motel was demolished but this guy escaped the wrecking ball and is now displayed at the Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill:

About 10 fiberglass animals displayed at the Nord Animal Hospital in Bloomington:

Pinky the Elephant has moved around in Springfield since he arrived in 1980. More about these DWO Elephants at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/critters/eledwo.html

A restored Texaco station in Decatur:

Sprague’s Service Station in Normal has also been restored and now houses a Route 66 info center & gift shop:

This restrooms building from 1964 is at the Rail Splitter Rest Area off I-55 in Springfield:

A midcentury, spiral parking garage ramp in Springfield:

This former Kresge department store building is also in Springfield:

On to the signs. This one is either a restoration or replica in Springfield:

This former Stuckey’s billboard sign is displayed at the Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill in Springfield:

This modern sign is displayed inside Motorheads. There were several Ned Kelly’s in Illinois and I think they are all gone:

This business in Springfield is gone now but the sign remains:

This sign in Springfield has been repainted countless times. You can see the patched neon tubing holes from long ago:

Mr. John’s Dry Cleaners in Streator closed in 2021 but this sign remains:

This scaffold sign is in Springfield:

This Woody’s Steak House sign in Ottawa surely revolved originally:

This Krekel’s sign with a neon chicken is probably from 1993 when this Springfield location opened:

This Bear Manufacturing sign is at Autocraft Body Shop in Springfield. More about these “happy bear” signs at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/signs/bear.html

Let’s close with this fantastic replica sign in Lincoln:

Back soon with even more stuff from Illinois.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram