 Skull and Crossbones
Memphis, TN
Photo courtesy Sherry McGee
Here's a Skull and Crossbones sign in Memphis. Not sure what this is supposed to be advertising. It's located in a parking lot in a business district. Many thanks to Sherry McGee for info. 09-06
The sign stood across from Humes High School, where Elvis Presley graduated in 1953. That gives this otherwise mysterious roadside find a connection to a much better-known Memphis landmark. Beyond its location, little information has surfaced about who made the sign or what message its owner intended.
UPDATE: The current whereabouts of the skull-and-crossbones sign are unknown. It may no longer survive, leaving its original purpose another unanswered question. 11-26
 Atomic Pest Control (Gone)
Memphis, TN
Photo courtesy Sherry McGee
Now here's a pest control sign that's hard to miss. Atomic Pest Control on Elvis Presley Boulevard featured a great old marquee with light bulbs spelling out ATOMIC and neon below for Pest Control. But the real attention getter was the giant fiberglass mouse perched above it, happily chewing on a big wedge of cheese. Many thanks to Sherry McGee for info. 09-06
Atomic Pest Control got its start in 1958, when anything with the word "atomic" sounded modern and futuristic. The giant mouse eventually became a Memphis roadside landmark, standing watch along the old Highway 51 corridor for more than 40 years.
UPDATE: The giant mouse was removed in 2013 after Atomic merged with another pest control company. The old Atomic marquee was later stripped away as well, leaving this memorable Memphis roadside scene to the archives. 08-26
 Giles Builders Supply (Gone)
Albany, GA
Photos courtesy Lisa Pike
Rolling through Albany, Giles Builders Supply looked like the sort of place that could handle just about any building project. Its collection of signs advertised lumber, millwork, and building supplies at Pine Avenue and Cleveland Street. No need for a fancy showroom when the lettering outside told contractors where to pull in. 09-06
Gordon Giles helped establish the business in 1957, and his sons Phillip and David eventually took over. The family supply house spent more than half a century serving Albany and southwest Georgia. Phillip grew up around the store and later described it as the only job he had ever known.
 Giles Builders Supply
Albany, GA
Photos courtesy Lisa Pike
Competition from the big home-improvement chains made business tougher, and the recession brought another blow. Construction slowed, contractors struggled, and unpaid accounts mounted. Giles closed in July 2009 after 52 years, bringing a long family operation to an end. Fortunately, the corner's days of selling building materials weren't quite finished.
UPDATE: Short & Paulk Supply Co. took over the property in 2010, renovating the approximately 9,000-square-foot building for its own supply business. The Giles signs were removed, but the old property found another use in the same trade. 11-26 |
 Antique Auto (Rem.)
Memphis, TN
Photo courtesy Sherry McGee
Here's one of those roadside sights that makes you slow down for another look. Antique Auto on Elvis Presley Boulevard featured a rusty old car pulling an equally rusty boat right on top of the building. Whatever was going on here, it certainly got your attention. 09-06
Turns out this was Surwic Trailer Hitch Co., a longtime Memphis business dating back to 1964. The shop specialized in trailer hitches, towing equipment and repairs, which explains the old car and boat. Why settle for an ordinary sign when you can put the whole rig on the roof?
UPDATE: Surwic Trailer Hitch Co. is still in business at this location. The rusty car and boat display has since been removed and the storefront updated. Too bad, since this was definitely more fun to look at. 08-26
 Seafoods (Gone)
Dawson, GA
Photo courtesy Lisa Pike
Sometimes the simplest signs are the ones that catch your eye. Sitting at the corner of Jefferson Street and 5th Avenue in downtown Dawson was this old Seafoods sign. No fancy name or catchy slogan here. Just SEAFOODS in big letters telling you pretty much all you needed to know. 09-06
Not much seems to be known about the business that once operated here, including its actual name. At this time, the old sign and storefront already looked like leftovers from an earlier downtown era.
UPDATE: The seafood business is long gone and the old sign has since been removed. Another little piece of downtown Dawson that has disappeared since this photo was taken. 08-26
 Philco (Closed)
Albany, GA
Photo courtesy Lisa Pike
Here's another old sign hanging around downtown Albany. This Philco blade sign still projects from the side of an otherwise empty building on North Jackson Street. The faded paint, old neon tubing and big vertical letters look like they haven't changed much in years. 09-06
Philco was once a familiar name in radios, televisions, and household appliances. Independent dealers across the country used signs like this to connect their neighborhood stores with the nationally advertised brand. The identity of this particular Albany dealer isn't clear, leaving the projecting sign as the most visible reminder of its former trade.
UPDATE: The Philco sign remains on North Jackson Street above a vacant storefront. Its neon apparently no longer operates, but the old display still marks the former appliance business. 11-26
 Madison Tobacco (Gone)
Memphis, TN
Photo courtesy Sherry McGee
Here's a tobacco shop that put its merchandise right on the sign. Madison Tobacco advertised along Union Avenue with a cigar and a permanent puff of smoke above it. Even without reading the name, passing motorists could get a pretty good idea of what was waiting inside. 09-06
Despite its Madison name, the shop became a familiar stop on Midtown's busy Union Avenue. Pipes and cigars were part of the business, but the sign supplied the roadside attraction. That simple cigar-and-smoke design gave the storefront an identity of its own, especially among the other businesses competing for attention along the strip.
UPDATE: Madison Tobacco closed around 2021, and the cigar sign was removed from the storefront. Its long run of puffing away above Union Avenue came to an end. 11-26
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