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email: roadarch@outlook.com |
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| Tennessee Signs (page 1) |
(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)
| Sliger's Jewelers Athens, TN |
Masonic Lodge Athens, TN |
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Sliger's Jewelers opened in 1946 and this sign is from around 1957. [map]
This Masonic Lodge, aka the Meridian Sun Lodge, was founded in 1824. This sign with glass globes might be from the 1940s. [map] |
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Benton:
J. Lowery Drug Store Lake Ocoee Inn [gone] Blaine:
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| Maxwell's Big Star Bolivar, TN |
Flowerland [gone] Bristol, TN |
Goodman Jewelers Bristol, TN |
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Maxwell's Big Star is a grocery store. I believe it was part of a local or regional chain originally. [map]
Flowerland is long gone but this sign remained for many years. The Renew Body Spa occupied the space below when this photo was taken in 2011. The sign was gone by 2018. Goodman Jewelers was established in the late 1950s in Chilhowie, VA. This store opened in 1970 and the sign appears to be from then. [map] |
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More Bristol:
Belmont Lanes [gone] Bristol Slogan Sign |
| ZZ's Kream Kastle [gone] Brownsville, TN |
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| This ZZ's Kream Kastle neon sign was there in 2003. The business replaced it with a plastic box sign by 2009. Does anyone know what happened to the old sign? For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
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Centerville:
Breece's Cafe Masonic Lodge [gone] |
| See Rock City [gone] Chattanooga, TN |
See Rock City Lookout Mountain, GA |
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Rock City is a tourist attraction on top of Lookout Mountain at the Tennessee and Georgia border. The owners began advertising with painted barn signs throughout the South in the 1930s. Many of these are still around and maintained. In the early 1950s, Rock City produced a "See Rock City" mailbox that was frowned upon by the U.S. Postal Service. They were then promoted as birdhouses. These barn-shaped birdhouses are still sold at the Rock City gift shop.
The large billboard sign shown above was located at the base of Lookout Mountain. This photo was taken in 2007. By 2011, this sign was gone. This simulated birdhouse is at the summit next to the attraction itself. [map] There is a birdhouse-shaped See Rock City barn in Flintstone, GA. [map] |
| Town & Country Center Chattanooga, TN |
Volunteer Garage Chattanooga, TN |
Foster's Clothing Chattanooga, TN |
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Town & Country Center sign might be from the late 1950s or 1960s. The sign was restored and changed a bit sometime after 2018. These photos are from 2021. The "CENTER" letters originally had neon. The T/C panels were originally corrugated plastic with T'C letters installed on top. For more, see this website. [map]
The Volunteer Garage was built in 1927. It is next to the Volunteer State Life Insurance Company building which was built in 1916. This sign might be from the 1940s. It has raised letters and had neon originally. It looks like it was always a painted sign (not porcelain enamel). [map] The Foster's Clothing sign was probably built in the 1950s. It had been covered up for many years. Around 2014, the panels that covered it were removed. It was restored in 2020 by Ortwein Sign and installed on the building that it was installed on originally. The building now houses the Glass House Collective. [map] |
| Soup's On Chattanooga, TN |
Lookout Mountain Tourist Lodge [gone] Chattanooga, TN |
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The sign at Soup's On was probably built in the 1950s or 1960s. Soup's On adapted the sign when it moved in around 1993. That restaurant closed around 2011. The sign was adapted a couple of times after that. It now advertises for the Han-Mi Korean Pub. Does anyone know what was here originally? [map]
The Lookout Mountain Tourist Lodge was built in 1945. This sign was most likely from the 1950s. The motel had been abandoned for many years. The bottom part of the sign has been covered with a "For Sale" sign since around 2020. By 2023, the motel had been demolished and the sign was gone. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Budget Motel [gone] Chattanooga, TN |
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| The Budget Motel was built around 1955 and this sign is probably from then. It originally had neon and bulbs. By 2024, the sign was gone. |
| former Ellis Restaurant Chattanooga, TN |
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The Ellis Restaurant opened in 1909 and moved to this location across the street from Terminal Station in the 1930s. It is believed that this sign and its current wording are from then. The restaurant closed around 1979 and the building has been vacant since then. The owner believes that restoring the sign will make the space more desirable. In 2013, Cornerstones Inc., a historic preservation organization in Chattanooga, earmarked $10,000-$20,000 towards restoring the sign. The sign will remain in place until funding for the balance of the $100,000 estimate can be raised. In 2017, the frogs were restored and put back up. The rest of the sign and facade remains unrestored for now. These photos are from 2021. Nothing has happened with the sign or building since then.
The sign is about 23 feet wide. It is installed over black vitrolite glass tiles. The entire facade was covered with these tiles originally but many of them have been broken and removed. The words "Steaks" and "Chops" were painted directly onto the tiles above the sign. The tiles and oval window will be repaired during the restoration. The "Ellis Restaurant" letters were lit with red neon and surrounded by more than 600 white, flashing bulbs. The green neon jumping frogs were lit in four-part animation. The restaurant was famous for its steaks, chops, and frogs legs. [map] |
| Coker Museum at Honest Charley Speed Shop Chattanooga, TN |
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| These signs are displayed inside the Coker Museum at Honest Charley Speed Shop. The museum features Corky Coker's personal collection of vintage vehicles and signs. For more, see this website. [map] |
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More Chattanooga:
23rd Drive-in [vintage; gone] Chattanooga Choo-Choo Highland Park Baptist Church [vintage; gone] Coca-Cola Cotten Patch [vintage; gone] Krispy Kreme Doughnuts M&J Liquors [gone] Town & Country Restaurant [gone] |
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Tennessee (page 2) |
Tennessee (page 3) |
Tennessee (page 4) |
Tennessee (page 5) |
Knoxville | Memphis | Nashville |
| Main Signs Page |
| RoadsideArchitecture.com |
Copyright. All photos at this website are copyrighted and may only be used with my consent. This includes posting them at Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, other websites, personal use, etc. Tips & Updates. If you have suggestions about places that I haven't covered, historical info, or updates about places/things that have been remodeled or removed, I'd love to hear from you: roadarch@outlook.com. |