Coca Cola
Hattiesburg, MS
Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf

Boarded windows and faded brick gave the old Coca-Cola bottling plant in Hattiesburg a weathered appearance, but the painted advertisements still caught the eye. Layers of familiar lettering marked a building that had continued advertising its original product long after the bottling machinery moved elsewhere. It was a good reminder to look beyond the storefronts when exploring downtown.

The company moved here in 1915 after outgrowing its first plant. During World War II, demand from nearby Camp Shelby kept production running around the clock. Between 1942 and 1945, annual output exceeded 1.25 million cases—more than twice the plant's intended capacity. Operations relocated in 1955.

UPDATE: The former plant has been restored for events and gatherings. Its surviving Coca-Cola ghost signs retain the building's industrial identity, giving the reused property a distinctive connection to Hattiesburg's bottling history. 11-26

Philco Color TV
Knoxville, TN
Photo courtesy Doug Harvey

Here is an old Philco Color TV ghost sign on what's left of an old electronics warehouse in Knoxville Tn. Many thanks to Doug Harvey for info. 03-06

Philco was a familiar name in radios and televisions, including the futuristic Predicta sets introduced in 1958. This painted advertisement promoted color television, another major change in home entertainment. Its large lettering was meant to reach passing customers rather than disappear into the background.

UPDATE: The current condition of the remaining wall and sign has not been confirmed. The surviving view records an electronics advertisement from the years when a new television could be both a major household purchase and a glimpse of the future. 11-26

Cotton Gin
Memphis, TN
Photo courtesy Sherry McGee

Here is a Cotton Gin "ghost sign" on another old building. At one time Memphis was known as "King Cotton" and many of the old downtown buildings were either warehouses that stored cotton or housed cotton gins. Many thanks to Sherry McGee for info. 07-06

Memphis developed into a major cotton market, with riverboats, railroads, merchants, and storage facilities supporting the industry. Advertisements for ginning equipment and related services formed part of that working landscape. The wording alone doesn't establish whether cotton was processed inside this particular building, but it preserves a visible connection to the trade.

UPDATE: The business responsible for this advertisement and the sign's present condition remain unidentified. Its surviving lettering records another fragment of Memphis' cotton economy, painted into the walls of the city. 11-26

International Harvester
Memphis, TN
Photo courtesy Sherry McGee

The faded lettering on this old building is about all that's left to tell the story. The International Harvester ghost sign still hangs on the wall, a reminder of when one of America's biggest farm equipment companies had a major presence in Memphis. 07-06

International Harvester opened its huge Memphis Works plant in 1942, building cotton pickers, hay balers, and other equipment that found their way onto farms across the South. By the early 1980s the company was struggling, and the Memphis plant closed in 1983 as International Harvester itself began a major corporate transformation.

UPDATE: The current status of this building is unknown. 08-26

King Cotton and Jack's Food Store Building
Memphis, TN
Photo courtesy Sherry McGee

There's plenty to read on the old walls around Jack's Food Store in downtown Memphis. King Cotton advertising shares the scene with Easy Way Food Stores lettering, creating a collection of painted signs that rewards a closer look. These weren't elaborate tourist attractions, just neighborhood grocery advertisements that became more interesting as the paint weathered. 07-06

Jack's and Easy Way occupied neighboring storefronts along North Main Street. Easy Way began downtown in 1932 and grew into a familiar Memphis grocery chain. King Cotton advertised the regional meat brand rather than naming the building, adding another layer to this streetscape of food-store lettering and product promotion.

UPDATE: The former grocery properties are closed, but their surviving painted signs preserve traces of the businesses that once served this block. Easy Way's last store closed in 2018, ending the chain's long Memphis run. 11-26

Horne Wilson
Albany, GA
Photo courtesy Lisa Pike

The faded lettering on the side of this old brick building is easy to miss if you're watching traffic instead of the rooftops. Once you spot the Horne-Wilson ghost sign, though, it's hard to look away. Painted high above the corner of North Washington Street and Roosevelt Avenue, it has been overlooking downtown Albany for decades. 09-06

Horne-Wilson was a major wholesale supplier of plumbing, heating, and electrical equipment throughout the Southeast. The Albany warehouse served contractors during the region's postwar building boom, keeping everything from pipe fittings to appliances moving through South Georgia. While the business is long gone, the painted advertisement still gives the building plenty of character.

UPDATE: The building has been repurposed, and the Horne-Wilson ghost sign still survives. 08-26

R E McDowell & Co.
Dawson, GA
Photo courtesy Lisa Pike

One of the first things you'll notice on this downtown Dawson building is the contrast between old and new. High above the wall, the faded R.E. McDowell & Co. ghost sign still advertises farming implements, while a colorful mural brings new life to the brick below. Somehow the two fit together perfectly. 09-06

R.E. McDowell & Co. supplied wagons, hay frames, and other farm equipment to growers throughout southwest Georgia during the early 1900s. Back then, businesses like this helped keep the region's farms running, and painted advertisements were an easy way to let everyone know where to find them. Today, the old warehouse has found a new purpose as the home of the Terrell County Chamber of Commerce, but the original lettering still looks down over the street.

UPDATE: The building has been preserved and repurposed, and the R.E. McDowell & Co. ghost sign still survives above the mural. 08-26

Southern Furniture
Charleston, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Walking along King Street, it's easy to get distracted by all the storefronts. Then you happen to look up and spot the faded Southern Furniture lettering still painted across the side of this old brick building. It's the kind of ghost sign that makes you stop in the middle of the sidewalk. 12-07

For years, Southern Furniture occupied this spot along Charleston's main shopping district, where businesses advertised with paint instead of plastic. The furniture store is long gone, but the old sign still looks down on King Street while shoppers pass beneath it without giving it a second glance. That's part of the fun of wandering downtown. The best sights aren't always at eye level.

The building itself has been given a new life with modern retail inside, but the old painted advertisement remains one of those little reminders of Charleston's commercial past. It's worth looking up before heading to the next block.

UPDATE: The building has been repurposed, and the Southern Furniture ghost sign still survives. 08-26