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Illinois Signs (page 7)

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First National Bank
Carlyle, IL		 Lowry Farm
Pittsfield, IL		 Green Acres Motel
Pittsfield, IL		 Cardinal Inn Cafe
Pittsfield, IL
The clock works on this First National Bank sign and the neon appears to be intact.

I believe Lowry Farm was a horse farm at one time. The neon horse's legs were apparently animated.

The star on the Green Acres Motel sign was apparently inspired by the Holiday Inn sign which was developed in 1952.

The Cardinal Inn Cafe pole sign was refurbished sometime between 1998 and 2004. The sign is lit at night. The Cafe's smaller sign is installed above the restaurant's entrance. For more, see these websites: 1, 2.

Stone
Brothers Jewelry
Alton, IL		 Jacoby Furniture
Alton, IL		 Millers First Insurance Company
Alton, IL
Stone Brothers Jewelry sign appears to be from the 1950s. The clock no longers works. I don't know if the sign is still lit at night. The company had many other locations at one time including at least seven of them in St. Louis, MO.

Jacoby Furniture was open for nearly 100 years. It closed around 2004. In 2006, the sign was refurbished and adapted for the Jacoby Arts Center. The "Parking in Rear" text was replaced with "Arts Center". The sign is lit at night. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

Millers First Insurance Company was originally known as the Millers Mutual Insurance Association. It was founded in Alton in 1877. The company still uses a windmill in its logo. I don't know if this sign is lit anymore. The blades of the windmill probably turned originally.

Fraternal Order of Eagles
Alton, IL		 College
Crest Motel
Alton, IL		 Lu-Bob's
Family Restaurant
Greenville, IL		 2 Acres Motel
Greenville, IL
This Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie was established in 1906. This sign is probably from the 1950s.

The College Crest Motel sign is probably from the 1950s. The design appears to be a match for Tod's Motel in Cabool, MO.

The Lu-Bob's Family Restaurant sign is lit at night. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

The 2 Acres Motel has been here since at least the 1960s.

Luna Café
Mitchell, IL
2010: 2012:
The Luna Café opened in 1926 and was frequented by both celebrities and gangsters. Many years ago, the building also served as a boarding house, gambling hall, and brothel. The sign is believed to be from the late 1940s. The neon was only partially working when the sign was last lit in the 1990s. The sign was restored and relit in 2011. Part of the funding for the restoration came from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. The organization’s cost-sharing grant split the $22,000 bill with the business owner. The sign's panels were cleaned and touched up. The chasing bulbs which surround the nine foot long sign are functioning again. Enough of the neon tubing remained to recreate the sign's original colors. The text is orange, green and red. The white cocktail glass contains a red neon cherry. According to legend, the cherry was only lit when prostitutes were on duty. In reality, the sign had no separate mechanism for that. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

Vic Suhling Gas for Less
Litchfield, IL		 Ariston Cafe
Litchfield, IL		 Stanley Cour-Tel
Staunton, IL		 Stone Motel
Johnston City, IL
I believe Vic Suhling Gas for Less was part of a chain of gas stations. There is a vacant lot lot where the station was but this sign remains.

The Ariston Cafe opened in 1924. It moved to this location in 1935. These signs were installed at that time. They are still lit at night. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

The Stanley Cour-Tel was located in Bridgeton, MO. These signs were saved in 2003 and installed at Henry's Rabbit Ranch. For more, see this website.

The Stone Motel sign is probably from the 1950s.

Elizabeth
Banking Center
Elizabeth, IL		 Odd Fellows Temple
Flora, IL		 Masonic Lodge
Flora, IL		 American Legion
Flora, IL
The Elizabeth Banking Center sign appears to be from the 1930s or 1940s. It previously read "Elizabeth State Bank". The clock and temperature piece below was not revolving when this photo was taken in 2010. It probably replaced an earlier clock.

This Odd Fellows Temple sign is used by the Independent Order Of Odd Fellows. It was probably built in the 1930s.

This small Masonic Lodge sign looks like it might have been cut from the top of a larger sign.

This American Legion sign was most likely double-sided and projected out from the building.

Odd Fellows Temple
Salem, IL		 Continental Motel
Salem, IL		 Lakewood Motel
Salem, IL		 Restwell Motel
Salem, IL
This Odd Fellows Temple sign uses the same design as the one in Flora described above. I don't know of any others like this.

The Continental Motel, Lakewood Motel, and Restwell Motel signs all appear to be from the 1950s. The Continental Motel sign is lit at night. I don't know about the other two.

Stover's Jewelry
Centralia, IL		 Straith's Jewelry
Centralia, IL		 Home Motel
Centralia, IL		 Holiday Motel
Centralia, IL
The Stover's Jewelry sign appears to have been reworked at some point. For more, see this website.

Straith's Jewelry was established in 1939. This sign appears to be from the 1950s or 1960s.

The Home Motel sign appears to be from the 1950s. The neon seems to be intact. For more, see this website.

The Holiday Motel sign features the same design that was used for some other motels in Illinois including the Nashville Motel and the Cinderella Motel.

U.S. Grant Motel
Mattoon, IL		 Jane Isbell Jewelry
Vandalia, IL
The U.S. Grant Motel sign is lit at night. There is also a smaller version of this sign near the office. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

The Jane Isbell Jewelry sign is probably from the 1950s. The jewelry store is gone and the space is occupied by Lulu's Stuff N Such. The owner of the building is going to sell the sign.

Brunner Auto Supply
Pana, IL		 Lincoln Motel
Jonesboro, IL		 Timmerman's Supper Club & Motor Inn
East Dubuque, IL
The neon has been removed from the Brunner Auto Supply sign. It is probably from the 1930s or 1940s.

The Lincoln Motel sign is probably from the 1950s.

Timmerman's Supper Club & Motor Inn is now two separate entities: the Timmerman's Hotel & Resort and the Timmerman's Supper Club. The Supper Club was built in 1961 and the Motor Inn in 1974. There are two of these signs, facing different directions. At least one of them is lit at night. For more, see this website.

Walter C. Knack Co.
Dixon, IL		 Hey Brothers Ice Cream
Dixon, IL
The Walter C. Knack Co. appears to be gone now. It sounds like it was a vending machine company.

Hey Brothers Ice Cream was produced in northwestern Illinois from the 1910s to the early 1990s. This sign hangs at a long closed factory in Dixon which was the last to close. For more, see this website.

Yarbrough Appliances
Morrison, IL
These Hotpoint and GE signs are installed in the window of Yarbrough Appliances.

Ranch House Lodge
Bureau, IL		 Bear Safety Service
Alpha, IL		 Bud's Skyline Inn
Moline, IL		 Temple's
Sporting Goods
Moline, IL
The Ranch House Lodge sign appears to be from the 1950s or 1960s. For more, see this website.

This Bear Safety Service sign hangs in front of Barton's Body Shop. In 1965, the shop made an addition to the building and began offering Bear Alignment service. The sign is probably from then. These plastic signs are rarer than Bear Manufacturing's earlier neon signs.

Bud's Skyline Inn was previously Joe's Skyline Inn. It became Bud's in 1985. I don't know if this airplane was part of an earlier sign or if it was created when the new plastic sign below it was built.

Temple's Sporting Goods opened in 1928. This sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. It has either been recently refurbished or it is a replica of a sign from that time period. For more, see this website.

Flemish-American Club
Kewanee, IL		 Gish Jewelry & Gifts
Mendota, IL
The Flemish-American Club sign was built in the 1940s. It originally had neon and the windmill blades turned. The text originally read "Flemish Village". For more, see this website.

Gish Jewelry & Gifts opened in 1932. This sign looks like it might be from the 1940s or 1950s.

More Illinois Signs:
Buick & Pontiac signs: 1, 2 (Elizabeth) [gone]
Oswego Hardware [gone]

IL (page 1) IL (page 2) IL (page 3) IL (page 4) IL (page 5) IL (page 6) IL (page 8)
Chicago (page 1) Chicago (page 2) Chicago (page 3) Chicago (page 4)
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