On the Lookout

As I travel Arkansas highways

there are certain things that I like to look for

courthouses,

historic buildings,

and

ghost signs.

To find these things it means getting off the main thoroughfare and finding the historic downtown streets. In most Arkansas towns that's not too hard at all. Occasionally Jerry and I take a trip to satisfy my craving for all things old. I'm so grateful on these hot summer days that he's willing to keep the car cool while I hop out and take a few pictures.

I'm not a big fan of modern architecture with it's steel and glass. I love old brick buildings. I love the designs they made by carefully placing bricks. Sometimes I find one really unusual like this pharmacy. I've never seen the pharmaceutical sign made out of bricks.

DeQueen, AR

I like the architecture on top of this building; the curved canopy and parapet which is decorated with brick piers that are topped with rounded concrete caps. It was built around 1902 for the First National Bank of Lewisville. Later it was home to legal offices and title companies. It's know as the King-Whatley Building.

Lewisville, AR

My heart skips a beat or two when I spot old ghost signs, which are advertising signs painted years ago on brick walls. I found several this trip, twenty-eight in only six cities. Among my favorite are the Coca-Cola signs. There's just something nostalgic about Coca-Cola signs. It brings back childhood memories of ice cold glass bottles of Coke on a hot summer afteroon. That was something rare to us. We mostly drank Kool-Aid.

Camden, AR

Sanitary meat anyone? It's a shame someone broke out part of the bricks to insert an air conditioner. Couldn't they find a better place? Like the back maybe?

Stamps, AR

Lewisville, AR

For some reason I vividly remember all the advertising for Dr. Tichenor's formula. Although you can barely read it, the advertisement below is for Dr. Tichenor's which could be bought at Lafayette Drug Company. I got a little curious and googled his name. George Humphrey Tichenor was a Kentucky-born physician who introduced antiseptic surgery while in the service of the Confederate States of America. He was very loyal to the South and would not let his antisepetic be used on soldiers from the North. His medicine consisted of alcohol, oil of peppermint, and arnica. The company is still in existence although the recommended uses are as a mouthwash and topical antiseptic.

Lewisville, AR

Lewisville, AR

My favorite find of this trip was a small library in Ashdown, AR. The public library is housed in what looked to be some type of old garage. Note the large garage door on the left. As you can see they tried very hard to make their library attractive. The murals of popular books were painted on all four sides by artist Art Pelcher. I regret that I didn't take the effort to take better pictures of the library. These where shot out of the car window. I was tired, very tired and very hot. I just couldn't get out of the car again!

Ashdown, AR

This trip was to southwest Arkansas.

Next trip will be to the northeast.

Wonder what I'll find there?

Thirsty or Not

You know you’re a photographer when you’ll drive 57 miles to take a picture of one sign! That’s exactly what I did. I will admit the trip served a dual purpose. First, I hunt “ghost signs” those vintage advertising signs that are painted on the sides of buildings. Recently a fellow Arkansas blogger posted a picture of a ghost sign in Altheimer, Arkansas. The building looked pretty unstable and the sign was fading, so I knew a trip was in order before something happened to the building. The second purpose was my dad. Many of you know he has Alzheimer’s. Every Alzheimer patient is different, each has their own set of peculiarities. One of my dad’s peculiarities is his need to GO, GO, GO. Go anywhere! Go anytime! I thought since photographing the sign wouldn't take very long, he would enjoy going for a ride. So, he, my sister, and I headed down the back roads to Altheimer.

Altheimer is a small town of less than 1,000 people. The town was named after brothers, Joseph and Louis Altheimer, two Pine Bluff merchants.  We found the building very easily. We couldn't have missed it. The old Leake building which was built in 1917 is pretty much all that’s left of the old downtown area. I searched far and wide and could find nothing about the history of this building. 

The building is crumbling; windows all broken out, the roof seems to be collapsing, and thick vines are cascading down the sides. It looks like the last business that occupied the building was Rusty’s Package Store. For those of you who don’t know southern dialect, package store is a term used for a liquor store.

Coming up to the front door you can still see the name Leake in the entryway tiles. There was a lot of debris so I couldn’t see the whole word.

It’s always exciting for me to see a ghost sign. My heart speeds up a little. They are such a wonderful part of history and advertising. This one is slowly fading away, but it did not disappoint. It advertised Grapette.

Grapette was a grape flavored soda introduced in 1939 by Benjamin Tyndle Fooks and bottled right here in Arkansas in Camden. Grapette invited people to drink their soda whether you were “Thirsty or Not." It was sold in much of the United States in six-ounce clear glass bottles showing off the beverage’s purple color. As a child I didn’t get soda very often, but when I did it was a Grapette or Orangette. The company was sold a couple of times, and then in 1977 the last purchaser closed down the business and the flavor was retired in the U.S. In 1986 Grapette was once again produced and sold under the Sam's Choice brand. In early 2000, Grapette International was able to purchase the U.S. rights to the Grapette trademark and the flavor and name were reunited.

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Now, I’m thirsty and I really want to go to Walmart for a Grapette soda!

Signs Of The Time

Signs how lost we would be without them. I mean that literally, we would be lost. There are signs that let us know the highway we are traveling on. Signs the tell us how fast or slow to drive. Signs that let us know where we can find something to eat. You know what I mean, signs are everywhere. I really don't like modern signs, but I am well aware that we can't get by without them. We'd be in danger of losing our lives without traffic signs, we'd be lost without street signs, and we'd be starving because we wouldn't know which establishment serves food. So, we live with those signs.

As I said, I don't really like modern signs, but I do love unique ones and, of course, vintage ones. That makes me smile, thinking how I like old signs. I wonder in a hundred years or so if someone will find one of our "old" signs and think "how cool is that!" Will our signs even survive the years? Those digital ones, probably not!

The best place to find fascinating signs is traveling through small towns. You can see signs that were hand painted many years ago. I love the font used on the Clickity Clack Toy & Gift Shoppe. I would have certainly entered it's doors in search of the perfect gift!  

If your lucky you might run across an old neon sign. This shoe store was built in 1922. Neon signs were extremely popular in the U.S. from 1920 - 1960.

You can still find old advertising signs that hang from buildings and were lit at night. I especially like the ones with the Coco-Cola advertisements. 

Above you saw the corner sign. Below you can see the sign painted above the front door. I smiled at the wording on the sign. At the Fountain Hill Grocery you can find "goods in endless variety for man or beast."

When I passed this old store it wasn't the corner sign or the sign above the door that made me slam on my brakes (after quickly looking in my rear view mirror) and had me making a fast left turn (after quickly looking ahead for oncoming traffic). It was the ghost signs on the side and back of this Fountain Hill grocery store. My heart does skip a few beats when I see ghost signs. They are quickly disappearing from our landscapes.

My favorite signs in the whole wide world are ghost signs; advertising signs that were painted on walls of buildings. I mentioned liking Coco-Cola signs, but finding a Coco-Cola ghost sign was the highlight of my day. I'll throw in a little tidbit of Coke information here. The first wall sign painted for Coca-Cola was done by a salesman in Carterville, Georgia, in 1894. The early ones said "Drink Coca-Cola." 

It amazes me that some of these signs are still in such good condition. I've read that part of the reason the paint hasn't faded more is that lead-based paints were used. I am in awe of all the skilled craftsmen that painted these signs. They were know as "wall dogs." They traveled the country painting advertising signs on walls.

Sometimes a sign has been repainted attempting to match the color and charm of the original, but that's just not too successful to me.  Someday all the ghost signs will be faded away or the buildings demolished and they'll be completely gone. So if you see one, you might want to stop and take a picture.

Every time I spend a day traveling Arkansas it's a treasure hunt. What will I find today?

historic buildings

beautiful windows

unusual doors

vintage signs

I never know, but I have never been disappointed!

Looking For Arkansas Courthouses

As many of you know I'm trying to take a picture of all the county courthouses in Arkansas. Recently we had a free day and Mr. H suggested that we make a courthouse run. I'm always ready for a little traveling. Our destinations were Prescott, Hope, and Nashville. The courthouses weren't as impressive as some I've photographed. I like the ones that are ornate with the tall clock towers, but they can't all be built like that!

I know it's going to be a good day when the first wrong turn we made in Prescott lead us to a beautiful mural, painted by Jorge and Maria Villegas, that told the history of the town. The train front and center is pretty much the way it is.  The tracks run right beside the main street and we constantly heard trains.

Downtown was in pretty bad shape, but there's still an old fashioned barbershop.

The detail work in these old buildings fascinate me. It's beautiful the way the bricks were placed to create unique designs like the herringbone below. It's also nice when the names and dates are worked into the design; makes research so much easier. This building was built about 1908 and housed the Bemis Department store.

The Hamby Building was built in 1905 to house the law office of Col. C. C. Hamby. 

The largest building in downtown was built about 1905. The Prescott Hardware Company building is enormous, a full city block deep. 

Of all the buildings it was in the worst shape and has been condemned by the city for demolition.

Which is such a shame.  On the sides and back of the building are fourteen ghost signs. This back section was used to store the large items for sale like buggies, harnesses, wagons, vehicles, and agricultural implements.

Here's the statistics of the day:

seven hours to drive

250+ miles through

seven counties to

find three courthouses

bonus:

20 ghost signs

Such a fun day!

Taking The Long Road Home

 

I am never, ever disappointed when I travel the back roads of Arkansas.  Of course, I'm partial, but it is a beautiful state filled with mountains, valleys, quaint old towns, and delightful surprises. Recently I went on a photo excursion on the way home from my daughter's house. Instead of the fastest way, I took the LONG scenic route home.

 

My first stop was in Norfork. My husband had told me about this historic home standing high on a bluff overlooking the White River. He said he knew I'd want to photograph it.

 

 

This restored log cabin belonged to Major Jacob Wolf. Wolf built the cabin in the early 1800's to serve as post office and county seat. After the county seat was moved it became  his family dwelling. Wolf House is a dogtrot house which historically consisted of two log cabins connected by a breezeway or "dogtrot" all under a common roof. The breezeway provided a cooler covered area for sitting.

 

On his property, Major Wolf also had his own cabin,  a tavern (inn), blacksmith shop, woodworking shop, and a store. He took full advantage of the river traffic.

 

 

 

When I'm looking for places to visit, it's the big picture that draws me to a location, but often times it's the details that catch my eye; the peeling paint, the rust, the grunge, and the varied textures.

 

 

 

As I traveling on toward home, I spotted the Old Historic Galatia Church. The sign says it was built in 1886, but as you can tell there's siding on it now.

 

 

 

And, behind the church I found the "out house."  Yes, we do have a few of these around that are still being used. This one is for the "sisters". The "brothers" use one at the far end!

 

 

 

Next, stop was in the town of Calico Rock. East Calico Rock was a primarily the industrial section of town, first as a  landing for steamboats and later the railroad. The area that was once the center of all the hustle and bustle of trade has been abandoned. The buildings are vacant, some are only shells. The foundations are overgrown with weeds and wild vines. Even the railroad spur has been abandoned. It's kind of sad to walk down these once busy streets and see nature taking over.

 

 

My last stop of the day was in Batesville. When I wander around the older downtown areas there are always a few things I look for like shaped windows and reflections.

 

 

 

I also look for old signs.

 

My favorite signs are the "ghost signs" which are old hand-painted advertising signage found on the sides of usually brick buildings. This one is pretty odd. It looks like it's been painted over, but the underneath paint has seeped back through.

 

From there I headed home.  It normally takes me a little over three hours to get home, but this day it took nine! Once I get going I just can't seem to stop.

August Break - Day 30

signs
A few of my favorite signs from Hot Springs, Arkansas.

 

 

 

 

The Aristocrat Hotel in Hot Springs, AR was built in 1965. It is now an apartment building for disabled persons and seniors.  It sits right across the street from the Arlington Hotel where Al Capone stayed.