Belk-Cline Co. Department Store Building
Troy, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

You may notice the big Belk-Cline Co. lettering first, but don't miss what's painted beside it. The old OshKosh B'Gosh advertisement is still hanging on, making this downtown Troy building a fun stop for anyone who enjoys hunting for ghost signs. 12-07

Back when Main Street was the place to shop, Belk-Cline was known as Troy's leading department store. Like many early Belk locations, the store carried the name of its local partner, giving this one its unique identity. Clothing, home goods, and even OshKosh B'Gosh overalls once filled the shelves, and the painted advertisements let everyone know what was waiting inside.

Today the department store is gone, but the old signs remain on the side of the building. They're the kind of details that can easily be missed if you're in a hurry, but they're well worth a second look before wandering farther down Main Street.

UPDATE: The building has been repurposed, and the Belk-Cline Co. and OshKosh B'Gosh ghost signs still survive. 08-26

Bull Durham Tobacco Ghost Sign
Bennettville, SC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Some ghost signs seem to appear out of nowhere. You're driving through town, glance toward an old brick building, and there it is. The faded Bull Durham advertisement still clings to the wall, quietly watching over Bennettsville just as it has for generations. 01-08

Bull Durham was one of the best-known tobacco brands in America, and its painted advertisements could once be found on buildings all across the South. Crews of sign painters covered brick walls with the famous bull logo and lettering, making sure travelers and train passengers knew exactly what was being sold. Most of those signs have disappeared over the years, making survivors like this one even more fun to find.

It's worth slowing down when you're wandering Bennettsville. You never know when another faded advertisement from the past will be waiting around the next corner.

UPDATE: The Bull Durham Tobacco ghost Ssgn survived when photographed, though its current condition could not be confirmed. 08-26

Rogers Mercantile
Bennettville, SC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

If you enjoy hunting for ghost signs, Bennettsville is a town worth slowing down in. Here's another one to add to the list. The faded Rogers Mercantile Co. lettering still stretches across the side of this old downtown building, advertising "Quality Merchandise" from another era. 01-08

For years, Rogers Mercantile was one of those dependable Main Street stores where you could find a little bit of everything. Dry goods, household items, and everyday necessities all passed through its doors while the painted sign let shoppers know they had come to the right place. The business is long gone, but the old advertisement still does its job by catching the eye of anyone wandering through downtown.

The building has found a new use over the years, but the ghost sign remains one of its best features. It's another reminder that sometimes the most interesting sights aren't in the storefront windows, they're painted high above them.

UPDATE: The building has been repurposed, and the Rogers Mercantile Co. ghost sign still survives. 08-26

The Variety Shop
Tigerville, SC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Driving through a small town like Tigerville, it's the faded storefronts that usually catch your eye. The Variety Shop may not be a true ghost sign, but its weathered display has been around long enough to earn a second look. The old lettering has faded with the years, yet it still hints at the days when this little store was part of everyday life. 01-08

Before big-box stores and shopping centers, places like The Variety Shop carried a little bit of everything. School supplies, household goods, toys, and odds and ends all found their way onto the shelves, making it the kind of place where you never knew exactly what you'd walk out with. Every small town seemed to have one.

The store has long since closed, but the old sign remains behind as another reminder of the businesses that once lined America's back roads. It's one of those little roadside surprises that's easy to drive past unless you're keeping an eye out.

UPDATE: The Variety Shop is closed, but its faded storefront sign still survives. 08-26

Sun Drop
Gastonia, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

You don't see too many billboards like this anymore. The old Sun Drop display in Gastonia may not quite qualify as a ghost sign, but with its faded look and ties to the local bottling plant, it certainly feels at home here. 01-08

Gastonia had a long connection to Sun Drop, serving for decades as one of the drink's major bottling and distribution centers. The citrus soda itself dates back to the early days of the soft drink business, but it really took off after being introduced nationally in 1951. Around these parts, Sun Drop became more than just another soda on the shelf. It was part of the local landscape.

The old Gastonia bottling operation eventually shut down, and distribution later moved to nearby Lowell. Whether this particular billboard still survives is another question, but when photographed it was one of those roadside displays that made you look twice before moving on down Franklin Boulevard.

UPDATE: Bottling operations at the old Gastonia site have ended, while Sun Drop distribution continues elsewhere in the area. 08-26

Old Piggly Wiggly Building
Great Falls, SC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

This old Piggly Wiggly has seen better days. The grocery store has been closed for years, but if you look along the side of the building you'll spot something even older. A faded S&H Green Stamps sign still hangs on, a reminder of the days when a trip to the supermarket meant bringing home more than just groceries. 02-08

For years, shoppers filled little books with S&H Green Stamps, saving enough to trade them in for everything from kitchen gadgets to bicycles. It was all part of the fun of grocery shopping, and seeing one of these old signs still clinging to an abandoned building brings back memories for anyone who collected them.

Downtown Great Falls has its share of empty storefronts these days, but buildings like this still have stories to tell. Sometimes all it takes is an old painted sign to remind you what the town looked like when Main Street was a little busier.

UPDATE: The former Piggly Wiggly building remains vacant, and the faded S&H Green Stamps ghost sign still survives. 08-26