Grits are good for you
September 18, 2012 9:44 AM Subscribe
Wow, ghost signs are really appropriately named! I go to the website, and there's not even anything there!
OK, seriously? Am I crazy here or is there no content on that site for other folks, too? I see a sidebar, which appears to link to not-ghost-sign posts, but that's it...
posted by phunniemee at 10:10 AM on September 18, 2012
OK, seriously? Am I crazy here or is there no content on that site for other folks, too? I see a sidebar, which appears to link to not-ghost-sign posts, but that's it...
posted by phunniemee at 10:10 AM on September 18, 2012
Ya mean the shinnin', don't ya lad?
posted by Mister_A at 10:16 AM on September 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Mister_A at 10:16 AM on September 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
Was I the only one hoping for a yellow government-issue "GHOST XING" road sign?
posted by roger ackroyd at 10:20 AM on September 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by roger ackroyd at 10:20 AM on September 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
OK, seriously? Am I crazy here or is there no content on that site for other folks, too?
I got content: old faded advertisements painted on the sides of buildings. Obviously you need to sacrifice a goat to the gods of the internet.
posted by yoink at 10:22 AM on September 18, 2012
I got content: old faded advertisements painted on the sides of buildings. Obviously you need to sacrifice a goat to the gods of the internet.
posted by yoink at 10:22 AM on September 18, 2012
I always find it funny that they used periods at the end of the message on old signs.
Russell Park Bakery.
Bakings Carefully Attended To.
posted by foxhat10 at 10:23 AM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Russell Park Bakery.
Bakings Carefully Attended To.
posted by foxhat10 at 10:23 AM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Obviously you need to sacrifice a goat to the gods of the internet.
Didn't work. :(
posted by phunniemee at 10:25 AM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Didn't work. :(
posted by phunniemee at 10:25 AM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Heeee...turns out adblockplus was blocking everything. Which is especially fun considering they're...ads. Awesome.
posted by phunniemee at 10:29 AM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 10:29 AM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'm kind of surprised at who few of these there are. There are lots and lots of these in my area...
Ah, see also the Flickr pools linked in the article.
posted by maryr at 10:32 AM on September 18, 2012
Ah, see also the Flickr pools linked in the article.
posted by maryr at 10:32 AM on September 18, 2012
Russell Park Bakery.
Bakings Carefully Attended To.
Nowadays those would be:
Bakings Carefully Attended To.
Nowadays those would be:
Russell Park "Bakery"posted by yoink at 10:37 AM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Bakings "Carefully" Attended To
I was expecting a link about ghosts throwing down signs.
(I need a nap)
posted by jaimystery at 11:04 AM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
(I need a nap)
posted by jaimystery at 11:04 AM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Baking's "Carefully" Attended To, even!
posted by scody at 11:06 AM on September 18, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by scody at 11:06 AM on September 18, 2012 [5 favorites]
This reminded me of the Genesee Beer sign in my hometown. It probably only qualifies as a "ghost" sign in my point of view.
posted by Mblue at 11:15 AM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Mblue at 11:15 AM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
I love finding these around downtown SLC, when they tear down buildings and leave an exposed side with an old painting. They've even restored a few of them to full vibrant color.
posted by msbutah at 12:48 PM on September 18, 2012
posted by msbutah at 12:48 PM on September 18, 2012
Nice find! I wonder why some of them look almost new. There's plenty of postwar ghost signs in Warsaw (the billboards infestation took hold only in the 1990's), but for historical reasons only a handful of prewar ones. I managed to find only one of them online, it's an advertisement of shoe cream "Dobrolin". Much more can be found in Wroclaw (Breslau).
posted by hat_eater at 1:51 PM on September 18, 2012
posted by hat_eater at 1:51 PM on September 18, 2012
These are great. The Andrew Ross Coca-Cola sign is the best-preserved old Coke sign I have ever seen - it looks like it dates to about the 1920s. There must have been a building next to it that was recently torn down.
The Milgrom Coats and Suits sign in Toronto is still visible, but it's a bit harder to find - there's a condo next to it now. The Senator Restaurant sign isn't technically a ghost sign - the restaurant still exists. It's a nice sign, though.
Frank Jump has an extensive collection of New York ghost signs on his site, and James Lileks also has a collection.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 1:54 PM on September 18, 2012
The Milgrom Coats and Suits sign in Toronto is still visible, but it's a bit harder to find - there's a condo next to it now. The Senator Restaurant sign isn't technically a ghost sign - the restaurant still exists. It's a nice sign, though.
Frank Jump has an extensive collection of New York ghost signs on his site, and James Lileks also has a collection.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 1:54 PM on September 18, 2012
I was expecting a link about ghosts throwing down signs.
I was expecting a link to a collection of signs left by ghosts and almost passed on the fpp. Brevity is a virtue, but.
posted by hat_eater at 1:55 PM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
I was expecting a link to a collection of signs left by ghosts and almost passed on the fpp. Brevity is a virtue, but.
posted by hat_eater at 1:55 PM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
I always find it funny that they used periods at the end of the message on old signs.
Russell Park Bakery.
Bakings Carefully Attended To.
Most signs in the 19th century had periods at the end - from what I've seen, the practice died out at the start of the 20th century.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 1:56 PM on September 18, 2012
Russell Park Bakery.
Bakings Carefully Attended To.
Most signs in the 19th century had periods at the end - from what I've seen, the practice died out at the start of the 20th century.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 1:56 PM on September 18, 2012
Grits are good for you; bakings are carefully attended to; and Coca Cola relieves fatigue.
Slogans you can believe in.
posted by BlueHorse at 2:06 PM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Slogans you can believe in.
posted by BlueHorse at 2:06 PM on September 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Ghost signs probably increase the value of your property by a significant amount. That way when you tear down a factory building and put a strip mall in to it you can keep the authentic looking local flavor of a place that actually used to make things.
posted by codacorolla at 4:05 PM on September 18, 2012
posted by codacorolla at 4:05 PM on September 18, 2012
Wow, these are beautiful!
I was all like, okay, I'm gonna be brave and read this ghostly thing, though I usually skip these... but not disappointed.
Eh, not much anyway, hehe...
posted by undue influence at 3:55 AM on September 19, 2012
I was all like, okay, I'm gonna be brave and read this ghostly thing, though I usually skip these... but not disappointed.
Eh, not much anyway, hehe...
posted by undue influence at 3:55 AM on September 19, 2012
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posted by Mister_A at 10:00 AM on September 18, 2012