Thursday, December 21, 2023

Wymore? Why not?

 


We pulled into Wymore around 7 a.m., so the light
wasn't the best.


But we did notice this on the north end of downtown.
Can't decipher the first two words, but the third
is definitely "PRODUCE."


What we didn't notice was the one next to it.
We'll have to get it next time.


There was plenty more to see anyway.
And we didn't even know there was a 


But here is the piece de resistance:


Conner Saloon?  Corner Saloon?
The Coca-Cola part is undeniable, and the word
CIGAR is partially behind the pole, but 
we wonder if we see Budweiser in there too,
two lines below Saloon.


How about you? What can you pick out?

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Final Fairbury



We do appreciate a good mural.





We hope to return to Fairbury, because we're sure there's more signs.


There were traces of a Coca-Cola sign we couldn't quite get because
of the setting sun.


When ghost sign hunting, be sure to prowl a few alleys.




 

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Uneeda?

 


As we walked away from the Majestic Motion Pictures find, (see previous entry),
we noticed this, and went around to the front of the block for a better view.


No dice.
So, we went back, into the alley, hoping something
would be visible. We were not disappointed.


The combination of the shadow and setting sun
means the photo ain't so great.
A lot of detail is lost.


But this is a layered beauty, and we believe it to be
an ad for Uneeda Biscuit.
(This may be our first Uneeda sign in person. There is
at least one in the collection from a loyal reader.)

Uneeda Biscuit signs, like Mail Pouch, Bull Durham,
and Coca-Cola signs, have a certain magic in the 
ghost sign community.

Or at least it seems that way to us.

Monday, December 18, 2023

Majestic

 


We spotted this in Downtown Fairbury.


Whether this was a movie theater or a movie studio is up for some debate.
The wording suggests it was more than just a theater, but googling Majestic Motion Pictures
shows there was a production company by that name but gives no indication
they made movies in Fairbury. Which could mean this was a distribution office.


The yellow border on this otherwise unreadable sign
leads us to believe it's also for the mysterious Majestic.


This may be a recreation, or at least a refresh, but we still
thought it worth including.







Thursday, December 14, 2023

More from Fairbury

 


Much more from Fairbury, actually.


These were unreadable to us, but in staring at them, we noticed something else:


Glass ghost signs are a rare treat.


Not a lot readable here...


On the right, we can make out the word Crawford, 
Everyone, and the word cheaper.


And on the left, Paint.


And in the middle bottom... and there's something beneath 
the Steakhouse.

Still much more to come.

Friday, December 8, 2023

Fair Bury


When in southeast Nebraska, be sure to visit
Fairbury for all your ghost sign needs.


Driving around with the family, my mother spotted this one.
Coca-Cola on the left, 
what we believe to be Gooch's Best Macaroni in the middle,
and you're on your own for the right.
 

Same building. 
Just above the doors, there's a faint outline of some lettering.


And across the top, at the roofline, we see what we think is
The Morgan Trans-something something something.


And downtown Fairbury held many more surprises
than we were expecting.
Stay tuned.





 

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Western, Nebraska

 


Not to be confused with the region, western Nebraska. 
This is Western, Nebraska: The village, in southeastern Nebraska.


According to Wikipedia, Western was (likely) named for 
Wesley West in somewhere between 1872 and 1880.


Western's population peaked in 1930, with 511 citizens.


The last census shows less than half of that.





Monday, December 4, 2023

Edgar

 


We leave no stone unturned, no small village unvisited in 
our drive to catalog ghost signs and faded ad art.


These examples were found in Edgar, Nebraska.
We believe we read "Equipment Co." at the end of this 
painted sign, but if you look above the center window,
you may also see the letters A.O.U.W.
And above that, the I.O.O.F. near the roofline.





Friday, December 1, 2023

Now entering Nebraska

 


Look at this beauty in Beatrice, Nebraska!!


Yet another Owl cigar sign, but there's much more.
There's the remnants of wholesale groceries across the top.
Argo Starch above the Straiton and Storm's Owl.
And another cent sign mixed in with at least three signs
in the lower right hand corner.
And if you'll note, the yellow block letters seem to spell Durham.
Directly below them we see "Toba" which leads us to believe
there's a Bull Durham tobacco sign mixed in there.
(Whoever painted on top of who, Owl or Bull Durham, this had
to be something of an advertising coup.)


And over on the left, there's a figure in a yellow circle
above a white panel.
(At first we thought it might be another version of the Owl Cigar owl,
but comparing it to yesterday's entry leads us to believe they're
quite different.)

Brilliant!!
Kudos to Stone Hollow Brewing for not destroying it.

(AND, after looking through our records, we found early photos
of this sign, before the building had been repurposed. Courtesy of
Ms. D. Walz.)