Let’s start with some statues. This Abraham Lincoln in Ashmore is about 72 feet tall. It was built in 1968 and has fallen on hard times:

This Lincoln is in Charleston — carved from a tree stump:

This marble John F. Kennedy sculpture is installed at a cemetery in Taylorville:

This fiberglass statue was installed in front of Chillbilly’s (now a Krekel’s) in Macon in 2011. This is a Mark Cline copy of an International Fiberglass statue. More about these statues at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/giants/if14men.html

I believe this hand with globe in Pana was originally installed at Skate World in Kankakee. Three pages of giant hands at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/mim/hands.html

This giant rose was installed at a gas station in Pana (the “City of Roses”) last year:

This chicken car is one of two that are installed at the Krekel’s Custard in Mount Zion. More chicken cars at my site here:

https://www.roadarch.com/critters/birdscars.html

Overlook Adventure Park in Decatur has a zoo-themed mini golf — lots of great statues:

This building is in Taylorville:

The Roseland Theatre is in Pana:

A detail from the Macon County Courthouse in Decatur:

The Mueller Co. building from 1961 in Decatur:

A mosaic at the Mueller entrance featuring their products and earlier locations:

The only still-operating location – in Arcola:

This Krekel’s Kustard walk-up stand in Decatur is from the 1950s. The sign originally had neon:

This building, currently vacant, in Decatur originally housed a Spudnuts. It housed several other donut shops after that:

A former Phillips 66 gas station in Decatur:

This liquor store sign is in Charleston:

The Silverfross Drive-in in Decatur became Elam’s Drive-in in 1954. The building was demolished in 1989 but this sign is located inside a local antiques store:

The bowling alley in Decatur is long-closed and the signs are sadly neglected:

This Lewis Cut Rate Drug Store sign is in Taylorville:

And lastly — a former Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket sign in Decatur:

Back soon with more Illinois.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Day 20 was interrupted by much rain and then heavy gray-ness. So, I did laundry, cleaning and organizing inside the van, and napping. I’m combining some of the limited shooting from that day with some shots from the following day.

Casey is a fun stop if you are into giant things which are scattered all over downtown (“Big Things in a Small Town”). Here are just three examples. The bird cage where you can go inside and sit on the swinging perch:

A giant mail box that you can climb the stairs and stand inside — plus, mail a letter and the red flag on the side goes up:

A giant truck key:

This giant beer can is at a bar in Altamont:

Olney is famous for its white squirrels — hence this little tribute statue:

A few stops just over the border in Indiana — this Uncle Sam (at an All-American Car Wash) is in Vincennes. For more about these statues, see my website: https://www.roadarch.com/giants/uncles.html

This 14-foot-tall Giant Man is at the Pink Elephant Antique Mall in Livingston. For more about these statues, see my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/giants/if14men.html

Also at the Pink Elephant in Livingston, this Futuro awaits restoration. I liked the previous green paintjob better. More about these fiberglass buildings at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/modarch/futuro.html

A detail from the Pantheon Theatre in Vincennes, IN:

Moving on to some signs. Walton’s Hardware & Furniture in Jacksonville:

The downfall of this sign in Pittsfield is so sad — but not unrecoverable damage for you sign optimists out there (what a different some paint and, more unlikely, neon would make):

Also in Pittsfield – this sign was repainted around 2012 but 12 years later could use some touching-up.

This GE sign is in Highland:

This sign in Vincennes, IN is at the Cutter’s Way bar:

This Odd Fellows sign is in Winchester:

This one is in Pocahontas:

This Elks sign is in Jacksonville:

Also in Jacksonville:

This sign is in Olney:

This sign is in Effingham. Around 2020, the sign fell to the ground. Installing a sign pole in a frequently-water garden planter is a bad idea. Eventually, the pole rusts enough that it gives way and many a sign disaster has resulted. Anyhow, this time a small but mighty miracle resulted. Instead of replacing the sign with a boring backlit plastic box which is usually what happens, Double D Signs replicated the original sign with aluminum panels and new neon later that year:

The old sign being hoisted off the ground — photo from the bar’s website:

The new sign is back in the flower planter though, so, this scenario might be relived another 50 years from now:

Be back soon with more Illinois. 12 more days of photos to go from this trip.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Starting off with some statues: this pair of crazed, muscled-up marble lions is installed in Alton:

These Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln sculptures are installed in Alton at the site of their last debate:

This 27-foot-tall Statue of Liberty was built around 1902 and originally installed on top of a building in New York City. In 2003, it was moved to the Brooklyn Museum of Art parking lot. Last year, the statue was donated to the National Building Arts Center in Sauget where is will eventually be displayed. It’s going to cost about $50,000 to restore:

The world’s tallest man, Robert Wadlow, was born and raised in Alton — and this life-sized statue and a replica of his chair are installed in a park there:

The Bon Air opened as a bar in Alton in 1921. It has expanded considerably since 1981 when it became Fast Eddie’s Bon Air:

This theatre in Alton has been vacant since 1977:

A couple of midcentury buildings — this one in Collinsville:

And this one in Granite City:

This vacant, former Henry’s Hamburgers location in East St. Louis would have looked like this originally:

This Hen House in Mitchell has been vacant since at least 2013:

This former Tastee-Freez is in Venice:

This Oddfellows Lodge sign is in Jerseyville:

This sign in Pittsfield was repainted and the neon restored around 2021:

This sign is in Roxana:

This one is in Madison:

This sign is in Alton:

The Jacoby Furniture sign in Alton was adapted for the Jacoby Art Center in 2006:

The neon on this sign in Granite City was restored in 2020:

This hardware sign in Edwardsville:

was adapted in 2012:

This recreated local sign is installed at the It’s Electric Neon Sign Park in Granite City with two other recreated signs:

The last Mister Donut location still operating in the U.S. — in Godfrey:

Back with more Illinois soon — about 12 days & posts left for this trip.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s start with a few statues. This lovely chicken and giant Coke bottle are among the many statues at the former Crainville Landing in Carterville. This place started out as a backyard shed business and statue seller. It evolved into a mini golf and frozen custard stand. The place has been abandoned since the owner passed away in 2019:

This panther is installed inside the high school gym in O’Fallon. The schools sports teams are the Panthers:

This Abraham Lincoln statue in Mount Vernon stands in front of a courthouse where he presented a case:

This restored Big John statue is in Eldorado. More about these statues at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/giants/il3.html

This former midcentury Bank of Illinois and Trust is in Mount Vernon:

Another midcentury bank: the former First National Bank in Wayne City – now the city’s Village Hall and Library:

This Art Deco building is at Sandoval Community High School in Sandoval:

This terrazzo apron is at a former Libson women’s clothing store in Belleville:

This Chuck Wagon in Fairview Heights was part of a Southern Illinois chain with about 15 locations. This is the only decently-preserved sign left (although the neon is gone). The one at the original Collinsville location has been badly adapted for a coffee place:

This ice cream stand and restaurant is in Belleville:

This clock in Belleville is at a closed used car lot along with several other nice neon signs:

This sign is in Fairfield:

Keil’s in Belleville was originally a hardware store. The hardware panel was covered over much later with this “since 1858” panel. The space now houses Blanquart’s Rusty Gem Vintage Market:

This sign is in Salem:

This sign in Belleville was knocked over in high winds in 2011 and badly bent. It was miraculously restored:

This sign is in Fairview Heights:

This vacuum form plastic soda sign in Breese is at the Excel Bottling Co.:

And lastly, the wonderful drive-in theatre sign in Belleville:

Back soon with more Illinois.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

We’re gonna be here a while. I spent 15 days in Illinois before turning tail back to California. So, 15 posts will be coming your way over the coming weeks.

Let’s start with some buildings. This midcentury modern American Legion is in Chester. I’m not sure what the technical terms are but I have always called these “barrel roofs with legs”:

The “Dental Dome” in Du Quoin might be midcentury but a lot of these were built in the 1980s as well:

This Art Deco building in Du Quoin houses Decker Chiropractic. I haven’t been able to determine the original occupant:

A couple of heartbreaking situations. The long-closed Massac Theatre is in Metropolis:

…and the long-vacant, former Standard Oil “Red Crown” station in Vienna. The bay at the right has no roof and there are trees growing inside:

A former Phillips 66 gas station in Zeigler now houses a used car lot office and repair service:

Moving on to some statues. There are about 19 of these Popeye-themed statues in Chester. The city adds a new one every year. This is Wimpy:

These wizard statues are at Jeremy “Boo” Rochman Memorial Park in Carbondale. A very sad story turned into something good. Jeremy loved to draw wizards and dragons and he was obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons. He was killed in a car crash in 1993. This property was turned into a public park with castle-style buildings and about 30 statues based on Boo’s drawings:

The Big Muddy Monster in Murphysboro is a local legend. There’s a festival every year and a couple of sculptures:

The mascot for Southern Illinois University at Carbondale is the Saluki. This concrete sculpture is one of a pair. There are also a couple of other bronze Saluki sculptures nearby:

This giant wrench sign is in Marion. If you like giant tools (hammers, saws, and the like), I’ve got a bunch at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/mim/misc5.html

I’m guessing that this billboard style sign next to the highway in Du Quoin was originally built in the 1960s. There are two triangulated panels to be seen by travelers driving from both directions. I’m sure there channel letters had neon originally. The graphic display box there now probably had a readerboard with change-able letters. I wish I could find vintage photos of this one:

This sign is at Benson’s Wine Bar in Chester. The “badge” at the bottom center reads Neon Sign Co. in Herrin which must have been the dominant porcelain enamel, neon sign producer in the area as so many signs have this credit:

This modern margarita sign is in Anna at Los Dos Gallos Mexican Bar and Grill:

Another modern sign at the long closed Annex Theatre in Herrin which has been a coffee shop since around 2000:

I believe this neon dancing woman in McClure was originally created in the 1980s for a strip and drag club in Memphis, TN. There were supposedly about 7 or these created but I believe this is the only one still on public display. The club in Memphis has been vacant for years but still has a neon pair of legs over the entrance. This sign is at The Pony which closed last year. There is another location in Memphis which is still open but does not have one of these signs. But that affiliation must explain how this ended up in McClure:

This Knights of Columbus sign is in Herrin (yep, that’s another Herrin sign co. badge on the left):

This long-closed cleaners is in Benton:

And lastly — this Henrici’s Pizza and More sign is in Herrin. While it might look vintage, it was actually built in 2003 by Roth Signs. The business has been closed for a few years but this sign remains. If you like pizza chef signs, I’ve got a bunch of ’em at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/sca/pizza.html

Back soon with more Illinois stuff.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

This former Conoco cottage gas station is in Hayti, MO:

The mid-century modern Temple Israel is in Paducah, KY:

The Columbia Theatre is in Paducah, KY:

This former Coca-Cola bottling plant in Paducah, KY was restored in 2013 and has been repurposed for multiple tenants:

This pink elephant is in Fenton, MO. These statues were produced by DWO Fiberglass – for other examples, see my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/critters/ele.html

This flying moose is at the Manac Trailers in Oran, MO. This is the mascot for the Manac which produces many types of truck trailers. There are several of these statues in Canada but I think only one other in the U.S.:

This Mel, the Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurant chain mascot, is at the Paducah location. Each of these recycled metal statues installed at many locations are different:

This sign is in Cape Girardeau, MO:

This sign is in Sikeston, MO:

This sign is in Paducah:

The Boomland fireworks store is in Charleston, MO:

This modern sign is in Paducah:

The Dexter Queen in Dexter, MO was originally a Daisy Queen (never a Dairy Queen):

The Melba Theatre is in De Soto, MO. This is what happens when you go cheap and replace neon with LED. The cheap plastic tubing usually comes loose, breaks, and needs replacing in just a few years. And, as you can see here, it never makes for straight lines and has ugly bent corners — no replacement for a skilled human that can bend neon precisely. Not only will the neon last much longer but it looks far better than LED during the day (beautiful shadows) and night (better glow and reflection off the panels).

This store is long gone but this sign in Hayti, MO remains:

We’ll be moving on to Illinois with the next post (soon!).

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

A lot of miles on this day — not so many photos as usual but I’ve got enough for a blog post.

This Indian statue in Poplar Bluff was built in 1954 for the long-gone Big Chief Trading Post:

This gate from 2005 with a fiberglass horse (a one-off I think) in Ava leads to the grounds of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association:

A stylish former gas station – now barber shop in Fredericktown:

A midcentury modern post office in Houston:

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

This one in the trees in Niangua:

I wish I’d had my garden shears with me in Thayer. Note the “Cold Beer” tubing over “Liquor” indicating that this must have been a flashing sign originally:

A couple of closeups of the Godwin’s Sporting Goods neon extension sign in Poplar Bluff (now at Hefner’s Furniture). The fisherman on top:

And the fishies below:

This photo from huzzahs at Flickr shows that it was still lit at its new location as of last year: https://www.flickr.com/photos/50757691@N07/53529225236/

These two signs in Ava mark the front and rear entrances:

And this liquor store sign (also in Ava):

This theatre is in West Plains:

Lastly, this very rare Dog n Suds sign in the private collection at the Carpet Gallery in Poplar Bluff. There were only a few of these “Rover” signs with the Pluto-like dog built in 1954 before Disney came after the drive-in burger chain. Only 3 of these are known to still exist:

For comparison, here’s the design that Dog n Suds began using after that. This one installed outside at the Carpet Gallery. This one came from the Cherokee Pass location which is gone now:

I’ll be back soon with a bit more Missouri before moving on to Illinois.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s start with some statues. This 1960s era fiberglass buffalo in Lebanon, MO is located at JR’s Western Store:

Another fiberglass statue — these elephants were produced by the Plycrete Mold Co. This one is located at the Riverside Wildlife Center in Stanton, MO:

A modern frozen custard statue at Spooner’s Frozen Custard in Eureka, MO:

The only intact Dairy Isle in Missouri — this one in Steelville. More info and examples of Dairy Isles at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/eateries/disle.html

A very abandoned Howard Johnson’s motel gatehouse in Rolla, MO:

Its companion restaurant now houses a Mexican place:

A former Phillips 66 gas station in Eureka, MO:

A couple of 1920s/1930s gas stations in Washington, MO. This one at a used car lot:

And this one housing a law office now:

Moving on to a batch of signs. This one with a Superior Electrical Advertising bulb arrow in Bourbon, MO:

This key-shaped sign was originally installed in Villa Ridge. The cafe is gone now but this sign was saved and moved to the Route 66 State Park Visitor Center in Eureka, MO:

The very famous sign in Lebanon, MO was based on Rest Haven Motel sign in Springfield (with their permission) which, yes, was inspired by the Holiday Inn “Great Sign” like so many others:

This sign is in Kirkwood, MO. This much-loved restaurant closed earlier this year but was immediately purchased and will be reopening soon.

This replica sign in Sullivan, MO was built and installed in 2022. The stone-faced motel rooms are being restored and the motel is expected to reopen next year:

This corrugated plastic sign is located in Lebanon, MO:

The Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge, MO was demolished in 2023 but this sign down the street is still hanging on:

Let’s wrap up with the Uranus Fudge Factory in St. Robert which has some modern signs (in addition to statues, food, souvenirs, and other fun stuff). There’s another location in Anderson, IN and they are building another in Richmond, IN:

This sign on the side of one of their buildings was built by Fossil Forge (which has restored a lot of vintage signs) and depicts some famous Route 66 landmarks:

Back soon with even more Missouri.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s start with a couple of midcentury modern buildings in St. Louis. This former bakery thrift store has been abandoned for years. I’m worried about it.

This round-ish restroom building in Beckett Park with mushroom canopies:

This theatre in St. Louis is now used as a community center:

An Art Deco detail from the Vandeventer Building in St. Louis (which now houses a Mexican restaurant):

The Paristyle Building (now lofts) in St. Louis with its nice-preserved 1942 facade:

A former Standard Oil station in St. Louis which was it lousy shape until it was restored for the Olio restaurant:

This former canopy gas station in Webster Groves has housed Roger’s Produce since 1978:

The White Knight Diner in St. Louis was built in 1952:

This Lustron house in St. Louis was recently restored as a bed & breakfast. What’s a Lustron, you ask? I’ve got 6 pages of them at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/modarch/lustron.html

And there’s a Plycrete hippo in front:

This nasty-looking snake is at the Pirate’s Crusade mini golf in St. Louis:

This serpent fence surrounds the parking lot at the City Museum in St. Louis:

This giant ice cream cone in Affton from 1942 was originally at a Velvet Freeze ice cream stand. It was restored by the local fire department and is now installed in front of a school:

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

I’ve been worried about this sign in St. Louis for years since the donut shop sat vacant for decades. I’m happy to see it’s now a cafe:

This bar is in St. Louis is closed but the sign is still there:

The flame on this shopping center sign in Affton was originally animated:

The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale mural sign in St. Louis was originally installed in 1968. It had fallen on hard times and was replaced with this replica last year:

Speaking of Anheuser-Busch… This quite famous sign in St. Louis right next to I-64 was originally installed in Los Angeles. When a new building went up in 1962, the sign was moved here. In 2022, the incandescent bulbs were replaced with LED versions and the Budweiser channel letters beneath this panel were switched from neon to LED tubing. Fortunately, the 33-foot-wide eagle is still lit with neon:

This sign in St. Louis was built in 2023 when the indoor mini golf opened. It features a woman putting on the other side:

I’m obsessed with Weather Balls and have shot a number of them for my website. They changed color depending on the weather forecast. This one in St. Louis, originally built for General American Life in 1956 was lit with blue for cooler weather, red for warmer weather, green for no temperature change, and flashed when precipitation was expected.

The sign was dark for decades and the neon letters were long gone. When it was converted to lofts in 2001, the ball was relit at night with red neon. I don’t know if they still keep it maintained but at least this piece of history is still there:

This Gateway Arch inspired sign in St. Louis previously advertised for Shop ‘n Save:

Let’s close with just one more sign from St. Louis:

I’ll be back soon with more Missouri. Three or four more days/posts before we move on to Illinois.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s get back to the summer trip. This day was pretty grey but I did what I could. Let’s start with the Chuck-a-Burger drive-in in St. John. There were eight locations but this one, built in 1957, is the only one left.

The Crown Candy Kitchen in St. Louis opened in 1913. It still makes its own chocolate candy and retains its old-time interior with booths and soda fountain (the oldest in town). I had some peach ice cream to go and it was mighty good.

In front of the business is this giant cake which was one of 250 of them installed around town in 2014 at historic locations to celebrate St. Louis 250th birthday. This is the only one that I know of that’s still around:

This J.C. Penney store in St. Louis was built in 1948:

The store closed in 1976 and it’s been vacant since then:

Children’s Palace was a nationwide chain of toy stores built in the 1970s. The buildings had castle-style turrets and a crenelated roofline:

The stores all closed in the 1990s. This one in St. Louis closed in 1994 and was adapted for The Palace skating rink. That closed in 2007 and the building’s been vacant since then:

One of my favorite buildings in St. Louis: the DeBaliviere Building was built in 1928. It features glazed and unglazed terra cotta. A couple of detail photos here:

The Employment Security Building in St. Louis was built in 1958:

This sad Lindell Bank & Trust motor bank in St. Louis has been abandoned for decades:

Happier stuff — a fish on a bicycle in a fountain in University City:

These stylized dolphins are in a different park in University City. They were built in 1967 and installed in a pool:

Later, that pool was filled in and grass was planted. The dolphins were in bad shape until they were restored last year and placed in this splash pad for kids:

This repainted Big Boy statue is at the Hi-Pointe Drive-in in St. Louis:

This revolving, 20-foot-in-diameter moon was built in 2009 for the Moonrise Hotel in St. Louis:

These two covered wagons are located in Marthasville at the Boone Monument Village event venue. You can rent them out for overnight stays. The first one was produced by the Conestoga Wagon Co. which has been selling these to campgrounds around the country since 2015. I have many of them at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/mim/vehicles2.html

This smaller one appears to be a one-off:

The Soda Museum in St. Charles has several neon signs but it has LOTS of other cool, vintage stuff — like drink coolers:

… and coolers/vending machines:

This sign is installed at the Beverly Hills Pharmacy in St. Louis. Ah – for some sun!!

The Droste Furnace & Cooling Service building in St. Louis was built in 1937. It’s been vacant since at least 2007:

This Stag Beer sign in Florissant is installed at B.J.’s Bar:

Sundecker’s bar in St. Louis has been closed since 2014 but these signs remain:

Stay tuned: there’s still about 20 days/posts to come!

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram