A Sign From the Past

Previously, we took a short tour around downtown Joplin with photographs of some of the surviving painted signs of Joplin’s past. Out of the destruction of the May 22 tornado and the consequential demolition, we discovered a new addition to the club, featured below; a sign from the past.


Glimpses of Yesterday

Painted on the sides and fronts of buildings are glimpses of another time in Joplin.  Prior to the more popular use of neon, plastic, and other materials, paint, often applied straight onto the building, was the most common form of advertising.  A drive around downtown Joplin reveals the remnants of these past days long gone.  Below are a number of shots of some, but not all such wonderful instances:

Joplin Main Street

An early photo of Joplin's Main Street reveals a number of painted signs.

Joplin's Ben Franklin Five and Dime

Ben Franklin Five and Dime

Franklin Five and Dime close up

Close up of the previous image.

Buggies

Buggies

Select Right

'S Electric

Bell Neon Center

Bell Neon Center

Bell Neon Center close up

Note the length of the phone number for the business.

Salvation Army

Salvation Army sign on the Hulbert Chapel (which is part of the next proposed historic district)

Salvation Army Close Up

Close Up of the Salvation Army sign

Engineers Building

Engineers Building

Rent-A-Car

Rent-A-Car / Drive Yourself

Paige Service

Paige Service

Joplin Mercantile Company

Joplin Mercantile Company

Joplin Mercantile Company close up

Joplin Mercantile Company close up

These legacies of the past are easily lost, be it from neglect or intentional destruction.  Let’s treasure the ones we have, as they serve as a direct connection to the past and offer a glimpse of another time.