Wrigley's Goddard Grocer Building
Hannibal, MO Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Here is a picture I took of an old Wrigley's ghost sign on the side of a The Goddard Grocer building in Hannibal, MO back in the Spring of 2006. I was standing on the levee when I took this. A few days ago, I was watching the news and they showed this place with water lapping at the sign! If you look at the door to the left, you can see the water had to be about eight feet deep at this point. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 07-08
Wrigley's Goddard Grocer Building is one of those ghost signs that couldn't have asked for a better location. Painted on the side of the old Goddard Grocer warehouse overlooking the Mississippi River, it has watched over the Hannibal riverfront for generations. 07-08.
The faded Wrigley's advertisement was perfectly placed to catch the attention of people arriving by river and rail. Today, it's the weathered look of the sign that makes it so appealing. Every crack in the paint and every faded letter adds a little more character. Thankfully, both the building and the ghost sign survived. It's hard to imagine how many floods, storms, and changing seasons this old advertisement has seen while quietly overlooking the river.
UPDATE: The building is still standing along Hannibal's riverfront, and the Wrigley's ghost sign continues to greet visitors. Modern flood protection has helped safeguard this historic area, giving this classic piece of roadside advertising a better chance to stick around. 07-26
Webster Cigars (Gone)
Detroit, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Here are a few pictures from July 2008 showing an old ghost sign for Webster Cigars on an abandoned building in a forgotten part of Detroit. It is in fact one of the most elaborate ghost signs seen anywhere. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 07-08
Even after years of neglect, the artwork still stood out. Unlike many ghost signs that are little more than faded lettering, this one was full of personality. It looked more like a giant mural than a simple advertisement, making it a favorite among photographers and anyone who appreciated old painted signs.
Sadly, the building didn't survive. After years of sitting vacant and falling into disrepair, it was demolished, taking one of Detroit's finest ghost signs with it. Fortunately, photographs like these preserve what was once one of the city's true roadside treasures.
Webster Cigars (Gone)
Detroit, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
UPDATE: The building is gone, and the Webster Cigars ghost sign disappeared with it. It's a reminder that these old painted signs won't be around forever, making every photograph that much more important. 07-26
Beeman's Gum / Detroit Athletic Club (Gone)
Detroit, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Here are old ghosts signs found right around Tiger Stadium. The Beeman's Gum / Detroit Athletic Club ghost signs looks like a classic ghost sign at first glance, with faded paint and old-fashioned lettering covering the brick walls near Tiger Stadium. But these signs have a story that's a little different from most. The one for the Detroit Athletic Club is kind of strange in that the DAC was and still is an exclusive club for the wealthy, Besides the "Accept no Imitations" seems to be a more modern term. The ironic thing is that the DAC now overlooks the new ball park. The DAC was designed by Albert Kahn in about 1921. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 07-08
Although they looked like vintage advertisements, they were actually painted as movie props for the HBO film 61, which used Tiger Stadium to recreate Yankee Stadium during Roger Maris' and Mickey Mantle's legendary 1961 home run chase. The artists did such a convincing job that many people assumed the signs were authentic.
Tiger Stadium itself was full of history, so the painted signs seemed right at home on its weathered brick walls. They became one more reason to wander around the old ballpark with a camera before it disappeared.
Sadly, both the signs and the stadium are gone today. Fortunately, photos like these preserve a unique moment when Hollywood and baseball history briefly came together in one unforgettable place.
UPDATE: Tiger Stadium was demolished in 2009, and the movie-set ghost signs disappeared with it. Even though they weren't true ghost signs, they certainly fooled a lot of us—and they made for some great photographs. 07-26
Miles Theatre (Gone)
Detroit, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
At first glance, this faded Miles Theatre sign looks like it has been part of Tiger Stadium for generations. The weathered paint and old-fashioned lettering fit the ballpark so well that it was easy to believe it was an authentic piece of Detroit history.
It wasn't.
The sign was actually created for the HBO movie 61, when Tiger Stadium was transformed into the Yankee Stadium of 1961 for the story of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle's famous home run race. Along with several other painted advertisements, it was carefully aged to look like it had been there for decades.
That's probably what makes these signs so interesting. Even though they were movie props, they captured the look and feel of early baseball parks so well that they became attractions in their own right. If you didn't know the story behind them, you'd never guess they weren't the real thing.
The Miles Theatre name wasn't chosen at random, either. It was borrowed from a real Detroit vaudeville theater that once entertained audiences downtown, adding another nice historical touch to the set.
UPDATE: Tiger Stadium was demolished in 2009, and the Miles Theatre sign disappeared along with it. While it wasn't a true ghost sign, it became part of the ballpark's final chapter and is still remembered by those who photographed it before it was gone. 07-26
Ralston (Gone)
Detroit, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
If you wandered around Tiger Stadium before it was torn down, you might have stumbled across this faded Ralston sign and assumed it had been there for decades. That was exactly the idea. The weathered paint looked every bit like an old ballpark advertisement. 07-08.
In reality, the sign was created for the HBO movie 61, which transformed Tiger Stadium into the Yankee Stadium of 1961 for the story of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle's unforgettable home run race. Along with several other painted advertisements, it was designed to blend perfectly into the old stadium.
The artists did such a convincing job that many visitors believed the signs were authentic. They added just the right touch to the aging ballpark and became fun discoveries for anyone exploring the area with a camera.
Sadly, the signs weren't meant to last forever. When Tiger Stadium was demolished, the Ralston sign disappeared along with the rest of the movie set.
UPDATE: The old stadium is gone, and so is the Ralston sign. While it was never a true ghost sign, it certainly looked the part and became a memorable piece of Tiger Stadium's final years. 07-26
Tates Tires
Toledo, OH Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
This ghost sign located on this wall in Toledo, OH is for Tates Tires. Not sure if this is the original name or if it stands for something else like States Tires. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 08-08
A closer look tells a different story. The missing letters have simply faded away over the years, leaving behind only part of what was originally a large United States Tires advertisement. It's a good reminder that time can rewrite history one letter at a time.
That's part of the fun with ghost signs. Every faded wall becomes a little puzzle, and it's easy to see how a sign like this could fool just about anyone. Without knowing what used to be there, "Tates Tires" seems like a perfectly reasonable guess.
Whether you read it as Tates Tires or United States Tires, it's still a wonderful survivor from the days when companies painted giant advertisements directly onto brick buildings instead of putting up billboards.
UPDATE: The ghost sign is still hanging on, although years of weather have made it much harder to read. It's a great example of how these old painted walls continue to change with time, revealing—and hiding—a little more of their story every year. 07-26
Roy Bennett Furniture (Closed)
Quincy, IL Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The Roy Bennett Furniture still features its old building and sign as it withstands the test of time in Quincy, IN. 09-08
The painted lettering is simple, but that's what makes it so appealing. It's the kind of ghost sign that blends into the brick until something catches your eye, and then you can't help but stop for a closer look.
Roy Bennett Furniture first opened in 1914 and remained family-owned for more than a century. Long before customers wandered through its showroom, Roy Bennett was selling furniture door-to-door from catalogs, building a business that would become part of downtown Quincy for generations.
While the furniture store has closed its doors, the old building remains, along with the faded sign that helped advertise it for so many years. It's nice to know that even after the business is gone, a piece of its story is still written on the wall.
UPDATE: Roy Bennett Furniture closed in 2024 after more than 110 years in business. The building is still standing, and the old painted sign continues to overlook downtown Quincy as a reminder of one of the city's longtime family businesses. 07-26
Wrigley's Goddard Grocer Building
Webster Cigars (Gone)
Webster Cigars (Gone)
Beeman's Gum / Detroit Athletic Club (Gone)
Miles Theatre (Gone)
Ralston (Gone)
Tates Tires
