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| VIRGINIA (page 1) |
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OK Used Cars Winchester, VA |
Shenandoah Lanes Mount Jackson, VA |
Southern Kitchen New Market, VA |
Dr Pepper Verona, VA |
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This OK Used Cars sign stands on the lot of Gasoline Alley Auto & Truck Sales. Although stripped of its original neon, it is still nicely maintained. For a more intact example, see this one in Cedar Vale, KS.
Shenandoah Lanes features duckpin bowling and uses an appropriately shaped sign. They have been around since 1948 and claim to be VA's oldest bowling alley. The Southern Kitchen features peanut soup and other regional foods. The sign is lit at night. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. This Dr Pepper sign is on a closed bottling plant. The building is from 1980 but the sign appears older than that. It is similar to the one in Roanoke shown below. |
| H&C Coffee and Dr Pepper signs Roanoke, VA |
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| The H&C Coffee and Dr Pepper signs enrich Roanoke's downtown skyline. The H&C Coffee Company has been based in Roanoke since 1927. The H&C sign was erected in 1946 at this location. The Dr Pepper sign is believed to have been put up around the same time. Below the Dr Pepper sign is what appears to be a restored Coca-Cola painted wall sign. From 2005 to 2006, the H&C Coffee sign was refurbished and reinstalled (bottom row of photos, thanks Randy Hogan). The Dr Pepper sign was also restored in 2005. Both signs were moved from their original locations (top photo) so that they would still be visible from the highway when the new art museum is completed. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Uneeda Biscuit & Pepsi signs Roanoke, VA |
Sunset-Inn Motel Roanoke, VA |
Melody Haven Roanoke, VA |
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The Uneeda Biscuit and Pepsi signs were restored in 1991 by several local businesses.
The Sunset-Inn Motel features a very sculptural sign. Melody Haven sells musical instruments and supplies. Its bass fiddle sign was designed by the store owner in the 1950s. When the store moved around the corner in 1977, they brought the sign with them. |
| Mill Mountain Star Roanoke, VA |
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| The Mill Mountain Star is the world's largest man-made illuminated star measuring 100' high and 88' wide. It was erected in 1949 on a mountain overlooking Roanoke (aka the Star City of the South). Its 2,000' of neon tubing hums loudly enough that the sign gets turned off at midnight so that neighbors can sleep. The star is normally lit white but has a tradition of red lighting for city traffic fatalities and national tragedies (e.g., JFK's assassination, the Challenger space shuttle explosion). For 4th of July holidays and since September 11th, the star has been lit red, white and blue. The sign was renovated in 2006 by the same company that worked on the H&C Coffee and Dr. Pepper signs. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. |
| Towers Shopping Center Roanoke, VA |
National Fabrics [gone] Bristol, VA |
The Jewel Box Bristol, VA |
Burger Bar Bristol, VA |
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The Towers Shopping Center sign is from around 1961. Originally, there were two of these signs. It mimics the radio towers around which the shopping center was built. For more, see their website. [photo thanks Robby Delius]
The National Fabrics store is gone and the building has been vacant for years. However, the sign was still there in 2007. The Jewel Box opened around 1939. The storefront was renovated in the 1950s and this signage was put in place then. The Burger Bar sign features a running Frisch-like boy. There is a story that this is where Hank Williams had his last meal. But in the early 1950s, this building housed a dry cleaners. The Burger Bar moved in sometime in the 1950s. |
| Pendleton's Jewelry Bristol, VA |
Uncle Sam's Loan Office Bristol, VA |
Evergreen Motor Court Bristol, VA |
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Pendleton's Jewelry has been here since around 1940.
Uncle Sam's Loan Office replaced a former Woolworth's in the mid-1990s. The sign was made at that time to blend in with the rest of downtown. The Evergreen Motor Court has been here since at least 1956. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Welcome sign Bristol, VA & Bristol, TN |
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| The Bristol Welcome sign was built in 1910 and installed on the roof of a hardware store. It originally read "Push That's Bristol". The slogan was changed and the sign moved to this location in 1915. It stands at the TN/VA border and contains 1,332 light bulbs. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Helms Candy Co. Bristol, VA |
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| Helms Candy Co. was founded in 1909. The company is known for its soft sugar stick candy in various flavors and five pound peppermint sticks. For more, see their website. |
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Maryland Fried Chicken Bristol, VA |
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| This Maryland Fried Chicken is one of the surviving examples of this defunct Southern chain. For some other locations, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Bob Peck Chevy Arlington, VA |
Brookfield Plaza Springfield, VA |
unknown sign Quicksburg, VA |
Red Goose Shoes Leesburg, VA |
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The used car lot at Bob Peck Chevy features a couple of old signs. Bob Peck's new car showroom was built in 1964 so I suspect these signs are from close to that time. However, the property was sold in 2006 and these signs will probably be gone soon. For more about Chevy's OK signs, see Jim McKay Chevrolet.
Brookfield Plaza has updated their shops but maintains this giant, old sign. It has been here since at least the 1960s and looks 1950s to me. For more, see their website. The unknown sign is most likely an abandoned gas station sign. Texaco, Gulf, Mobilgas, 76, Shell, Pure Oil, and many other companies used disk signs like this. The shape of the pole and the rim holding the sign indicate that this one is quite old - my guess 1930s or so. This Red Goose Shoes sign hangs above Arthur's Shoe Repair. Red Goose Shoes were a common brand promoted by neon signs. For other examples, see these in Fort Worth, TX, Las Vegas, NV, and Goldsboro, NC. |
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