Ghost Signs Archives ~ Not Good At Normal

August 21, 2022November 19, 2022

Hidden In Plain Site

History all around us Part 3

Look up, down, all around you will see almost hidden in plain site, the history represented in signs. Ghost signs left from an old business, or advertisement of a once popular product or service. They are everywhere, in every city, even on old barns along the highways.

Here are some from around the mid-west, St. Louis, Missouri area and the stories and history behind them.

a sign in terra cotta above an entrance to an old brick building — Sign above the entrance to a building that has been repurposed, St. Louis, MO

This sign is for The Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company. This building was built in 1923 to expand upon the smaller two story existing building when the E-J shoe company moved in and started using the location for a warehouse/distribution center and sales showroom. The company came to the St. Louis area in 1907 to compete with the very successful area shoe manufactures, but moved to this location in 1924 after construction. The company began in 1854 as Lester Brothers Boot and Shoe Co. then becoming Endicott-Johnson in 1899 in New York.

The smaller building to the left was built for the Columbia Transfer Company in 1915 due to its proximity to the rail yards. It was only used until 1923, when the shoe co. moved in.

The EJ on top of the building at Spruce and Tucker in St. Louis, MO

Not always hidden

Some ghost signs are very visible, like the one above and they aren’t always faded painted signs. Often you will see more of these type left on older buildings then the painted kind that new owners paint over or remove for their own names.

An advertisement for the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company.

Many building did not survive the highway 40 expansion in the downtown area.

The past is visible everywhere.

This sign is in Lafayette Park in St. Louis, Mo for Eden (now lofts) is still visible along Chouteau Ave. Built in 1896 for Eden Publishing House but not long after, the great tornado of 1896 hit part of the building. After repairs, it then changed and was added on until 1929 when a 5 story addition was added to house a store, and offices. Eden Publishing ceased in 1978. The art deco signs are all still intact.

The art deco style is evident in the sign and entrance of the now Eden Loft/condos.

This ghost signs says “Evangelical Synod”

Kodak ~a mini history of its connection to St. Louis

Eastman Kodak Company building, built in 1928 in the new modern/ art deco style. The entire block of Olive street is on the National Register of Historic Places and most of this low rise style. 100 stores were going to be built for Kodak, but due to the great depression only 5 were completed. The building was used a fur company before being renovated about 30 years ago, where the cameras seen in the store front were found.

Original sign inlaid at entrance of what once was the Kodak store.

Cameras found during renovation sit inside the
storefront window displays, also note the EKC on top of the awning.

The Thaxton Speakeasy and Event space is now occupying the building and kept the fabulous art deco style throughout. Where once was a Kodak sign, now hangs a Thaxton sign.

A Kodak sign hangs in front of the store

The building as a fur store before renos

The Kodak store of the Eastman Kodak Building

Olive Street looking west in the early 1900’s

Well Hidden in Plain Sight

In an old historic neighborhood in St. Louis, MO called Lafayette Square, is this ghost sign on the side of a private home. The home is across the street from one of the oldest parks in the city. Next to this house is two new homes built in 2015 in very much the style of the older homes on the street (the lot where the 2 houses are was once the Lafayette Park Hotel). The sign is hardly visible if you are busy driving by.

Newer home to the left, original homes, built in 1986, to the right.

The sign is for Crystal Domino Granulated Sugar. Domino Sugar was a company located in New York. The house with the sign was damaged in the “Great Cyclone of 1896”. Post coming soon on this devastating disaster.

Here’s a few more images from the inside, and the back alley to the Thaxton Speakeasy (secret password needed for entry)!

There as so many signs still visible if you really look and see what is right in front of you! Do you have any favorites? Leave a comment and let me know! I have many more for future posts. A blog about how St. Louis was once the Shoe capital of the nation coming up!

June 19, 2021June 20, 2021

Signs of the past, ghost signs and buildings

Part 2

The signs are all around us. The ghost buildings that once held businesses, homes and even churches still sit, beckoning those passing by to stop and take a look. To look past the rubble and broken glass, tall grass and graffitti to the past life it held.

Photo of the shell of what is left of the St. Louis Southwestern
RY Freight Depot. As I was about to take this photo, a train passed by. Years ago this would be an all day occurrence.

I recently drove around the northern part of the city of St. Louis, MO just north of the Gateway Arch grounds where the history is rich with ghost signs and buildings on every corner. This area was spared from the wrecking ball that demolished 37 blocks to make way for said Arch. Now I am a St. Louisan through and through and love the city and am proud of the arch, but as a historian and preservationist, it saddens me that so much history was lost because of it. Not to mention the people that were displaced by it~but that is a blog unto itself(I will link it here, when it is posted).

Multiple ghost signs on this building originally for the Mound City Buggy Company

The signs show us what it was like and how far we have come. In one sign, we see The Mound City Buggy Co all the way up to auto transmissions!

What can we learn from the signs and buildings? How we have evolved. How we lived once or made due with what was available at the time.

Power to the people (of St. Louis)

The Laclede Power Co on the Mississippi River front, St. Louis, MO

The Laceled building is just a shell left to the elements and urban decay. Note the rainbow, no rain in sight!

The Laclede Power Company began in 1891 and this building, built in 1901 was a power generating facility. The building has sat empty since the 1970’s.

Another Power company building and sign is the Union Electric Light and Power Company.

The Union Electric Light and Power co. on Ashley street, St. Louis, MO

This great ornate building was built in 1902( some say 1889). It provided steam heat to the downtown area. It was then converted to oil in the early 70’s and to natural gas in 1996. There was a greenway walking/riding trail area built around here, but recently it was closed off, along with multiple points of entry to the riverfront. I drove down here and didn’t know what was going on, as ‘the greenway trail’ started and ended here!

Click here to see the first video of ghost signs around STL. More to come and will be updated. Click here for part one blog.

More signs of the past that connect us

A closer image of the “D E trademark” sign. A.F Shapleigh Hardware co.

Wow. This one took a while to figure out and find info! I
do know there were a few businesses that had multiple warehouses around this area. As you can see this is Warehouse #3.

One of seven buildings for the Crunden-Martin MFG Co.

The complex that made up the Crunden-Martin Manufacturing Co. is down to 4 from the seven in its heyday. They were makers of wood and metal household goods, toys and paper products. The buildings were built between 1904 and 1920. They were an early supporter of the flood wall along the Mississippi in St. Louis. It closed in late 1990.

No info on this building or sign. If you can read it,
leave a comment, please! A true sign of the past!

The big one, building, ghost sign and oldest business!

Of course, the Gateway Arch would not be built for another 60+ years when this building was built.

The A. F. Shapleigh Hardware Company began when Augustus Frederick Shapleigh came to St. Louis from Philadelphia in 1843 to open a branch of the Rodgers Brothers and company firm. The name changed to Shapleigh Hardware not long after and continued to grow very quickly. The picture with the DE trademark is from the Shapleigh Hardware co. “The Diamond Edge is a quality pledge” Click here for detailed history from family descendants.

The other sign visible on this one is harder to read, J. Kennard and sons Carpet Co. Building possibly built in 1901.

This one really upsets me that it wasn’t repurposed.
Left to the urban elements. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

More ghost signs

The only thing I can make out is ‘Transfers & Forwarding Co.
Not sure what the bottom row says. St. Louis was a port city
handling lots of freight, so this makes sense.

Back side of cold storage building. Built in 1908

Front side of the St. Louis Refrigeration & Cold Storage Co. There was once several blocks of these.

The other side of Beck and Corbitt Iron Co.
Circa 1903

If you know of any ghost signs I missed or where any unusual ones are located, drop a comment. These were all from the Near Northside St. Louis City. There are more and I intend to go back! Stay tuned for part 3!

December 19, 2020January 4, 2021

Ghost Signs (mostly of St.Louis)

And the connections to the Past.

Ghost Signs: “Old hand painted advertising sign that has been preserved on a building for an extended period of time”. Old and fading signs or ads on exterior walls. They are all around in every city, even on old barns along the highway in rural america. Every downtown in every city has them. You just have to be open to see them.

A happy find. Multiple layers of signs visible in the
historic Cherokee/Lemp district.

This image has multiple layers of advertising. It is located in the Lemp/ Cherokee historic district (on The Mud House).On the top is an advert for a chewing tobacco. Only the word ‘Chew’ is still available. The largest part of the sign says ‘Buettner’s’. It was a home and furnishings store in downtown in the old garment district. There is another large word toward the top that isn’t legible and a sign at the bottom looks like it says ‘cold’ and maybe ‘broadway’. That is part of the fun of these signs. Trying to read what it says and researching the products to see if it’s still in production or where it originated. The entire Washington Ave. garment district, several blocks, was nominated for the National Historic registry in 1986.

One of my favorite recent finds. This building is downtown in the old garment
district on Washington Ave, where the Buettner’s store was (a few blocks down).

The ghost signs above advertise: ‘King Bee Hats, King Brinsmade Merc. Co.’ ‘Wrigley’s Spearmint Pepsin Gum~ Trademark’ ‘Buettner’s Home Furnishing Seventh and Washington~Arrow Stamps’. Upper corner is part of the Gum ad. It says ‘Buy it by the Box~The Flavor Lasts’ and the last sign on the right is for ‘Antikamnia Tablets ~Ask for A-K Tablets’. Looks like there was a newer sign over the gum sign.

The fun part was learning about the products I’ve never heard of before. The Antikamnia Chemical Company manufactured the tablets in St. Louis from 1890 to 1930. They produced “cures” for pains using at various times heroin and quinine (now used to treat Malaria).

Beer Capital

Hyde Park beer ghost sign found in The Hill neighborhood of South St. Louis, MO.

At one time, St. Louis was known as the beer capital because of the many breweries around the area. Hyde Park Beer was one of many. This sign says “Hyde Park Bottled Beer” This Brewery was started in 1889 and closed during prohibition in 1919. The Hyde Park neighborhood was home to mostly German immigrants. The brewery was at Florissant and Salsbury in North St. Louis. They were sold and after prohibition ended opened again in 1933, they also once produced Stagg beer. The routing of the interstate through the middle of the area has left the once thriving area impoverished.

Another Hyde Park Bottled beer sign
at the corner of Salisbury and N. 20.

Ghost Sign visible under the Mural for Hyde Park. Both of these signs border the Park by the same name. Salisbury and Blair Ave.

Green Tree Beer one of the larger brewery in the late 1880’s in St. Louis.

More Beer Ghost Signs

This whole article isn’t about beer, but what history of STL can one tell without the illustrious past. The Lemp Beer Factory is without a doubt on of the most well known, besides Budweiser, but Bud is still going strong, so I don’t have ghost signs of that advertising.

Originally the Lemp smoke stack, the tile coated bricks
were arranged to spell ISCO when the factory was
bought by the International Shoe Co. Yes, this is a ghost sign.

The Falstaff beer logo, (part of the Lemp products) still visible, on the south side of the city.

The Lemp family came to St. Louis in 1864, when William J. Lemp built the brewery near the Mississippi River, which had several caves in the area in which to keep the beer cold. The Lemp family has had many tragedies, early deaths and suicides are the legacy that is left of the once great beer baron.

You can tour the Lemp Mansion and book an overnight stay if you are brave enough. It’s said to be haunted. Or you can go for lunch or a four course dinner. After the family lost interest in the business and prohibition began, the complex was sold to the International Shoe Company and was for a time, the largest shoe manufacture in the world.

Other beverages

This sign is now in an alley behind an ice cream
shop in the Tower Grove area.

Least you think beer is the only advertising in the area, we see many signs for Coca Cola, the refreshing drink once made with cocaine from the coca leaf, where the Coca part of the name is from. Ghost signs are found everywhere. Some are ‘hidden’ behind other buildings or in alleys that over time have obstructed what was once visible street.

This next sign is completely hidden in an alley in the Bevo neighborhood. The alley was 18 inches wide, just enough for me to use the wide angle on the camera.

The word ‘Cream’ is visible and above it, a ‘W’ and ‘H’?

Some signs advertise local businesses and some nationally known brand products. The paints used in these early signs were mixed by the sign painters, usually with a mix of white pigment made with lead. The men that hand painted these signs were called Wall Dogs. The paint used was made to last a lifetime, sometimes longer! Its no wonder why there are so many that are faded or painted over. Someone buys a business and wants to put their own stamp on it, freshen up the outside. That is how we get some signs with more than three layers visible.

This sign was lost for over 100 years behind a building that crumbled and fell leaving this beauty behind. The Pattison Whisky Co. was only in production for a few years. The Star Saloon and Cafe opened during that time.

The works of art were visible from high above and ground level, easy to see by those on foot and horse and carriage. Then later the early automobiles.

Enjoy the rest of the photos. More will be added as I come across more!

Two old signs left on the
renovated Sun Theater in the
Grand Center Arts District.

Panda Paints ghost sign is on every
corner of the ole St. Louis Paint
Manufacturing Co.

1903 B+R Dry Goods, Close outs of Nationally Advertised Brands

Can’t find any info on this one found in the Cherokee/Lemp area.

Sign left on the building now known as the Knickerbocker lofts.

Not all ghost signs are painted. The business is
long gone, but the sign remains.

Gold Medal Flour and May and Sons Groceries and Meats advert.

Where are some of your favorite old ghost signs? Like and share, subscribe for more fun and historic content.