email: roadarch@outlook.com

Missouri Signs (page 3)

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Steak Burger
Independence, MO		 Big Boy Burgers
Independence, MO		 Queen City
Motel [gone]
Independence, MO		 V's Italiano Ristorante
Independence, MO		 Gateway Sporting Goods
Independence, MO
This Steak Burger sign is probably from the 1950s. The panels originally advertised for Texas Tom's. In 2021, the letters were removed from the sign and replaced with plastic letters for Carmen's Cantina. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

This Big Boy Burgers has been here since 1962. For more, see this website. [map]

The Queen City Motel was originally called the Queen City Court. The text was changed accordingly on this sign which appeared to be from the 1950s. Around 2017, the sign was removed. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

V's Italiano Ristorante was established in 1963. The restaurant moved to this location in 1971. For more, see this website. [map]

Gateway Sporting Goods is gone but this sign remains. There is an antiques store in the space below the sign now. By 2019, the neon had been removed. The text on the vertical panel remains but the bottom panel was covered over with yellow paint. [map]

Vickers [gone]
Independence, MO		 Great Western Motel [gone]
Independence, MO
This Vickers gas station had been closed for years but the building and sign remained. Vickers Petroleum was a Kansas-based refining and marketing company. By 2019, the sign was gone. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

This Great Western Motel sign was from the 1950s. The sign originally had a horse and cowboy with a neon lasso on the upper right. There was also a AAA logo attached to the upper left. There was also another panel below the arrow which advertised television, air conditioning, etc. The motel was demolished around 2022 and this sign is gone. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Fun House Pizza
Independence, MO		 Southtown
Sporting
Goods [gone]
Joplin, MO		 Woody's
Wood-Fire Pizza
Joplin, MO		 Capri Motel [gone]
Joplin, MO
This Fun House Pizza location opened in 1968. The circus tent part of the sign originally revolved. It no longer does. For more, see this website. [map]

Southtown Sporting Goods had been here since 1957. This sign is probably from then and may have had neon at one time. In 2011, the sign was blown over during a tornado. The building was damaged and had to be destroyed. The sign is gone.

This Coca-Cola sign at Woody's Wood-Fire Pizza was probably a liquor store bottle sign originally. [map]

The Capri Motel opened in 1962 as a Capri Motor Hotel. The sign is about 40 feet tall. The motel was demolished in 2013. The sign was saved and disassembled. During the removal, the underlying "Hotel" panel was found underneath the "Motel" panel. The sign's new owner hopes to reinstall it at another location in town. It was still in storage in 2018.

There were other Capri Motels with the same sign in Lawton, OK; Oklahoma City, OK; and Albuquerque, NM. There may have been others. There were also at least three identical signs for Flamingo Motels in Elk City, OK, Jackson, MS, and Waco, TX. There was also a Sands Motel in Tulsa, OK, a Rio Motel in Fort Worth, TX, and a Town & Country Motor Hotel in Wichita Falls, TX with the same sign design. I'd love to know if there was a relationship between these motel chains. For more, see this website.

More Independence:
Diamond Bowl
Milk Jug
Sterling Lanes
Twin Drive-in

Jefferson City:
Buescher Memorial Home [map]
Lakeside Motel
Zesto Drive-ins [gone]

Wilder's Steakhouse
Joplin, MO
Wilder's Steakhouse opened in 1933. The building was renovated in 1946. These signs are believed to be from the 1950s. In 2018, the rooftop sign was restored with a grant from the National Parks Association. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

More Joplin:
Junge's Bakery Products [vintage]
Rocket Motel [vintage; gone]
Tropicana Motel: 1, 2 [gone]
Watts Paint [gone]

Kennett:
Peoples Furniture Co. [map]

GMC Trucks
Kirksville, MO		 Manyx TV & Appliance
La Belle, MO
This GMC Trucks sign is installed at Weber Motors. The signs were mass-produced in the 1940s. I only know of one other one in Nunda, NY. The signs are now being reproduced. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Manyx TV & Appliance is long gone but this RCA Victor sign remains. The store opened in 1949 as a radio repair shop. [map]

Kirkwood:
Lionel Electric Trains [gone]
Spencer's Grill

Orchid Motel
Lake Ozark, MO		 Shoreland Motel
Lake Ozark, MO		 Berry Moore
Furniture &
Appliances
Lamar, MO		 Crowder
Plumbing & Supply
Lebanon, MO		 Estes Drive-in
Lincoln, MO
The Orchid Motel sign is probably from the 1960s. [map]

The Shoreland Motel sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The neon has been removed from the Berry Moore Furniture & Appliances sign. [map]

Crowder Plumbing & Supply was established in 1973 and this sign might be from then. It is about 20 feet tall. [map]

The Estes Drive-in opened in 1969. For more, see this website. [map]

More Lake Ozark:
Stewart's Restaurant

Lakeside:
Barefoot Traders [vintage; gone]

More Lebanon:
Pittsburgh Paints: 1, 2 [map]

Lee's Summit:
Hartley Heart

Lexington:
B.P.O.E.
Red Goose Shoes [gone]

Linn Motel [gone]
Linn, MO		 Travelier Motel [gone]
Macon, MO		 Southpaws
Veterinary Clinic
Maryville, MO
The Linn Motel sign is probably from the 1950s. The sign was removed in 2019 and is now in a private collection. For more, see this website.

The Travelier Motel was built around 1950. This sign was probably from then. This photo is from 2010. By 2014, the sign had been replaced with a plastic box sign. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

This Southpaws Veterinary Clinic sign has obviously been adapted from a previous business. I assume it originally advertised for a mobile home dealership or something similar. This photo is from 2010. By 2018, the sign was still there but the windows and doors were shingled over and the house was painted green. [map]

Maplewood:
Paramount Jewelers [map]

Marceline:
Masonic Temple [map]

Monett:
Kay's Floral Affair & Gardens

directional sign
Neosho, MO
This directional sign was built by the Missouri Neon Co. by the late 1950s. It was restored in 2019. The sign points to the downtown business district. [map]

Ramsey's
Nevada Motel [gone]
Nevada, MO		 Thorpe's Radio
& Television
Nevada, MO		 Rinehart Jewelry
Nevada, MO
Ramsey's Nevada Motel opened in 1960. This photo is from 2010. By 2012, this sign had been replaced with a plastic sign for the Nevada Inn.

The Thorpe's Appliances opened in 1945. This sign might be from then. The store closed in 2003. Several businesses operated in the space but the sign remained until around 2016. In 2020, Thorpe's returned to the space. A projecting panel reading "Maytag" was added to the middle of the sign and it was reinstalled. [map]

Rinehart Jewelry opened in 1952 and is still in business. The store moved to this location in 1954. [map]

North Kansas City:
A&N Hardware

Golden Door
Motel [gone]
Osage Beach, MO		 Beacon Motel
Pacific, MO		 Relax Motel
Poplar Bluff, MO
The Golden Door Motel opened in 1965. The door spun in its frame. The motel was demolished in 2017. The sign was still there in 2019 but gone by 2023. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

The Beacon Motel was built in 1946 as the Beacon Court. It closed in the early 1980s. In 2006, this sign was saved, restored and installed at a car wash. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Relax Motel sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. By 2023, the neon was replaced with backlit plastic letters. [map]

More Poplar Bluff:
Godwin's 303 Package & Sporting Goods Store

Smith Bros. Hardware [gone]
Raytown, MO		 Clark's Appliances
Raytown, MO		 Raytown Car Wash
Raytown, MO
Smith Bros. Hardware had been here since the 1930s. In 2018, the store closed and the sign was removed. It is now in a private collection. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Clark's Appliances opened in the 1950s. This photo is from 2010. There was a major fire in 2016. The store reopened and the sign was restored in 2017, repainted the original red. For more, see this website. [map]

The Raytown Car Wash sign is probably from the 1960s. [map]

More Raytown:
Fox's Drugs [map]
Fun House Pizza

Rolla:
Mule Trading Post

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