SIGNS need a Museum too

As I have documented previously, everything has a museum somewhere. For example, I have posted about museums for trolls, ventriloquist dummies, pencil sharpeners, and even Mothman. So, it should come as no surprise that SIGNS need a museum too. Yes, I mean signs, as in store signs, company signs, beer signs, building signs, whatever. All these museums start the same way. Initially, there is some focused person who starts collecting something. Then, the collection gets large enough and/or unique enough to be interesting. Eventually, if you have the support, you get a building and charge admission. In the case of signs, the mecca is the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio

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The American Sign Museum is no small time, amateur effort. The place is a well maintained museum with 100 years worth of sign history within a 20,000 square feet warehouse. Furthermore, there is all sorts of educational programs for the kiddies. Pre-Covid, this was a very popular field trip destination for the local schools. Lastly, there is even a neon commercial operation on site. You need to repair your neon sign or custom make a new one?…Neonworks of Cincinnati is the provider of choice. So, in the spirit of the grade school field trip, lets do the educational portion of our post first.

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The museum covers 100+ years of sign evolution. Its starts with the pre-electric signs which were the decades near the turn of the century. Primarily, the signs were often hand crafted wood signs or the very popular gold leaf paint on glass. Yes, there was some noteworthy craftmanship, but illumination was minimal. Then, with the spread of electricity and the light bulb, we enter the pre-neon era. Now, you could light the night and really get your bright and gaudy message out for all to see. But, keeping the light bulbs changed gave you constant maintenance tasks. Finally, someone learned how to excite the electrons in “rarefied” glass sealed in a glass tube…VIOLA. We have neon signs and the neon era begins.

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With neon signs, there is no limit to the tackiness. The museum is laid out like the typical “Main Street,” USA. Admittedly, it’s not your average Main Street as the whole thing glows pink. But, this is where you experience the real fun. As you go from store front to store front, it’s a trip down memory lane. This is nostalgia at its finest. It does not matter where you are from. The signs are from all over the USA. Yes, I will guarantee that you find a sign the brings back a great memory. Please, just bask in the glow of Main Street, USA, and find your memory.

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Sadly, while neon is far from dead, technology offers so many other options now. Neon signs have lost their dominance due to back lit, plastic signs, video panels and LED magic. Oh well, such is the way of all things. Allow me to offer up my last few pictures that had some meaning to me…

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Well, I hope you have enjoyed my trip to the American Sign Museum. If you are in Cincinnati and want to kill about 90 minutes, take a walk though sign history and find a forgotten childhood memory. Perhaps, the signs that were meaningful to me…were not as meaningful to you. But, trust me. This place has your signs too. At the very least, I hope I have convinced you of one thing… SIGNS need a Museum too. PT

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If you liked this post, you may also enjoy reading https://travelingwithpt.com/ventriloquism-museum-its-the-real-deal/

If you are tempted to visit the sign museum, here is more information https://www.americansignmuseum.org/