Signs Never Sleep

The signs of Colonial Williamsburg: A gallery

Photo by T. David

I recently found a wonderful gallery of signs from Colonial Willamsburg.

"In this gallery you will see the signs and symbols that are so plentiful throughout the historic area. Some signs are displayed in front of working shops and historic, educational displays and demonstrations. Others are true to the colonial period, but are displayed in front of unused buildings or private residences. All, however, help transport the viewer back to the 1700s for a glimpse of life prior to the Declaration of Independence. Washington was here (many times), as was Jefferson and the other founding fathers. Williamsburg was the capital of colonial Virginia (which included most of Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and westward to the Pacific Ocean). So let's tour Colonial Williamsburg starting at the Capitol building. We will visit the immediate surrounds and then take a walk down Duke of Gloucester Street, admiring the signs and symbols of Williamsburg as we pass the key establishments of the day, the Courthouse, Bruton Parish Church, and the Governors Palace. After you have experienced this "signs and symbols" journey, you are invited to start again and tour the buildings and sights of Colonial Williamsburg by visiting the companion gallery." Link

MASH Signpost at the National Museum of American History

 

The MASH signpost was added to the National Museum of American History's popular entertainment collection.

"Declaring the distances to such places as Boston, San Francisco, and Toledo, this sign post graced the set of M*A*S*H during the show's 11–year run. Set in Korea during the 1950s, the show revolved around the work and antics of the staff of a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH). Its final episode on February 28, 1983, was the most–watched television program of all time."  link

There is also a terrific article written on the history of the signpost on Finest-Kind.net, a website dedicated to the MASH television program.  Link

Read Part 1 of this post

MASH 4077 signpost recreated at Malibu Creek State Park

"M*A*S*H fans Brian Rooney, left, and Mark Rackow carry a signpost modeled on one that sat at the center of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital compound on the television series for 11 seasons." Link

Of all of the directional signposts in the world, there is probably none more famous than the one that stood just outside the SWAMP at the MASH 4077th in Korea for so many seasons.  It is an iconic sign, and is one of those cultural touch-points that is an essential part of Americana.  Anyone who has even occasionally seen the television comedy, feels as if they could name all of the cities and distances listed on the signpost, in order, even if it really would be impossible for them to do so.  One can close their eyes and see it there, the names floating just out of reach.

Was this signpost essential to the show?  Did it guanrantee it's success?  No, of course not.  But it is one of the things about the program that was so richly woven for us each week, and it added to its texture and flavor.  This sign does what all good signs do.  It marks a place in the world and it attempts  to guide those for whom it was placed.  It pointed the way back to civilization for Hawkeye Pierce, Trapper, Charles Emerson Winchester, Klinger, Radar and the rest.  It not only showed them the way back home, but reminded them of why they needed to stay.  For us, as viewers, it marked the place where we spent 30 minutes with them a week.  It was the signpost that pointed us to some of the things that were best about being human.

Read Part 2 of this post

The Pittsburgh Sign Project: a collection of vintage, neon and urban signs

I have been aware of the Pittsburgh Sign Project for a number of years, but I don't believe I have blogged about them until today.  The interesting thing about signs is that they are these landmarks we all know and navigate by.  We pass them by everyday, and never give them much thought, and then, suddenly, they are GONE! 

That sign you love?  That you see everyday?  Right next to the place?  Enjoy it while you can because eventually it will disappear.  If you love it, hate it, or if it is an important part of your life, be sure to get a picture because it will not be there forever.  That's what they are trying to do at the Pittsburgh Sign Project.

"You may know the landscape of Pittsburgh by its hills, rivers, roads, buildings, and trees, but the eye is strongly drawn to the text and symbols of the signs that comfort with familiarity, that irritate you with their distractions, that please you with their symmetry, or that illustrate the economic condition of a neighborhood. Signs are always trying to say something. Signs make our spaces a mongrelization of type-styles, graphics, and fashions: The futuristic becomes the modern becomes the dated becomes the retro. The passage of time provides the subtexts of rust, faded paint, and delamination. Signs are necessarily brash, democratic, and confessional. But I've said too much. Let the signs speak for themselves." link

The American Sign Museum: Ghost Signs

The American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio is the premier collection of antique and vintage signs in the United States, and is the "keeper of the flame" when it comes to the history of sign making in the US.

One of the things that The American Sign Museum provides is informative histories behind sign making techniques and the signs themselves.  There is no doubt that at one time or another you have seen a faded ad painted on the side of a building in an old American city.  This is an advertising medium that is seldom used now, and as progress and property development continues in these cities, it is an absolute certainty that one day, none of these "ghost signs" will be left.

"very few of these elder buildings still speak of their colorful histories beyond the Historic Register plaques with surviving "ghost signs" advertising long-extinct businesses and products. And as the structures themselves, these ghost signs rate recognition as true museum pieces in their own separate category.

Most of us are familiar with the biggest and most grand of these "frontier phantoms" visible on the Gulch Eddy's, Helena Hardware Co., and Firestone Tires are old friends with relatively clear lettering and easy recognition. Same with the Parchen Block's GENERAL ARTHUR CIGARS. But do we know of all the others, some hidden and some so faded as to be nothing more than tantalizing fragments" (excerpt from following the linked article)   LINK

Frontier Phantoms - Touring Helena's Ghost Signs

This Old House shows us the best jack o' lanterns on the web and the best pumpkin carving tools

Photos:  Courtesy Tom Nardone; Gene Granata; Scott Cummins; Ryan Wickstrand

Normally at Signs Never Sleep we talk about carving signs, but since Halloween is just around the corner, we can talk about carving pumpkins instead.  The This Old House website has a terrific gallery of carved jack o' lanterns that are certainly worth a look.

I should point out that some of the tools used for carving pumpkins are the same ones that are used for carving signs.  This Old House also has an article full of excellent ideas of tools you can use to carve jack o' lanterns.