 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
Now here's a sign that gets right to the point. This homemade Skull and Crossbones warning was spotted on a property across from Humes High School in Memphis. With the skull staring down from the top, there probably wasn't much confusion about how the owner felt about trespassers.
The location adds another little twist to the roadside find. Humes High School is where a young Elvis Presley went to school, graduating in 1953. Somehow a menacing skull and crossbones sitting across from Elvis' old high school seems like something you could only stumble across while wandering the streets of Memphis.
UPDATE: The current whereabouts of the old warning sign are unknown, and it may no longer survive. 08-26
 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, here's another one of those old local businesses that looked like it had been sitting on the same corner forever. Giles Builders Supply could be found at Pine Avenue and Cleveland Street, with its collection of old signs letting you know this was the place for lumber, millwork and whatever else might be needed for the next building job. Lisa Pike caught the place while passing through in 2006. 09-06
Giles Builders Supply opened in 1957 and spent more than half a century serving contractors and builders around Albany and southwest Georgia. Founder Gordon Giles helped start the business, and his sons Phillip and David eventually took over. It was the kind of local supply house where the people behind the counter probably knew the contractors coming through the door, along with what they were building.
 Giles Builders Supply
Albany, GA
Photos courtesy Lisa Pike
By the time these photos were taken, however, the days of the neighborhood building supply yard were getting tougher. Lowe's and Home Depot had become major competitors, and then the recession hit South Georgia's construction business especially hard. New building slowed, some contractors went under, and Giles was left with accounts that weren't getting paid.
After 52 years on the corner, Giles Builders Supply finally closed in July 2009. Phillip Giles had grown up in the store and said it was the only job he had ever known. That's a pretty good indication of just how much of a family operation this place really was.
UPDATE: The old Giles building escaped the wrecking ball. Short & Paulk Supply Co. took over the property in 2010, gutted and renovated the 9,000-square-foot building, and opened its own building supply operation here. The old Giles signs seen in these photos were removed, but it's nice to know the corner stayed in the building supply business. 08-26 |
 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 one of the big names in radios, televisions and home appliances, so signs like this could be found above neighborhood appliance and furniture stores all across the country. The name of the Albany dealer that originally hung this one isn't clear, but the sign managed to remain long after the business underneath disappeared.
UPDATE: The old Philco sign still survives on North Jackson Street, although the storefront remains vacant and the neon apparently no longer lights. After all these years, it's still hanging out over the sidewalk advertising appliances that haven't been sold here in decades. 08-26
 Madison Tobacco (Gone)
Memphis, TN
Photo courtesy Sherry McGee
Here's a sign that always seemed to have a little smoke in the air. Madison Tobacco could be found along Union Avenue in Memphis, with its old sign featuring a cigar and a permanent puff of smoke above it. No need to wonder what they sold here. 09-06
Madison Tobacco was one of those old-school neighborhood tobacco shops where pipes, cigars and conversation were all part of the deal. Despite the Madison name, this longtime location was at 1497 Union Avenue, where the sign became a familiar sight along the busy Midtown strip.
The clever smoke effect was the best part. It's the kind of simple roadside advertising that probably got more attention than any modern plastic sign ever could.
UPDATE: Madison Tobacco closed around 2021, and the old sign was removed from the storefront. After years of puffing away over Union Avenue, the smoke finally went out. 08-26
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