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email: roadarch@outlook.com |
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| Virginia Signs (page 1) |
(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)
| Dixie Pottery [gone] Abingdon, VA |
Alpine Motel Abingdon, VA |
Hi-Lo Drive-Thru Abingdon, VA |
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The Dixie Pottery store and sign are from 1957. The store closed in 2008. This photo is from 2011. The sign was removed in 2020.
The Alpine Motel and sign were built in 1963. Sometime after 2008, the sign was remodeled. The corrugated plastic panels were replaced and the poles are either covered or gone. The first photo is from 2003, the second from 2011. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map] The Hi-Lo Drive-Thru and sign are from 1956. The first photo is from 2007. In 2010, the remaining neon was removed and the sign was repainted (second photo). The paint was in bad shape again by 2018 and the business is closed. [map] |
| Majestic Cafe Alexandria, VA |
Bob Peck Chevrolet [gone] Arlington, VA |
Cotton's Drive-in [gone] Bluefield, VA |
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The Majestic Cafe opened in 1932. It moved to this location in 1949. The restaurant closed in 1978 and remained vacant until 2001. It was then remodeled and reopened, using the same name. Replica signs were installed at that time. This photo is from 2010. For more, see this website. [map]
Bob Peck Chevrolet's used car lot featured a couple of old signs when these photos were taken in 2005. Bob Peck's new car showroom was built in 1964 and later demolished. I suspect these signs were installed around then. However, the old showroom was sold in 2006 and these signs were removed by 2007. Cotton's Drive-in opened in the early 1950s and this sign appeared to be from then. It later became Cotton's Place. The building now houses a BBQ restaurant. The projecting sign was gone by 2022. The Cotton's letters are still on the building. |
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More Alexandria:
Virginia Lodge Altavista:
Blacksburg:
Bowling Green:
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| National Fabrics [gone] Bristol, VA |
Jewel Box [gone] Bristol, VA |
Pendleton's Jewelry [gone] Bristol, VA |
Evergreen Motor Court Bristol, VA |
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The National Fabrics store is gone and the building has been vacant for many years. This photo is from 2011. The sign was still there in 2013. By 2015, the neon had been removed and the panels had been painted over for West State Antiques. [map]
The Jewel Box opened around 1939. The storefront was renovated in the 1950s and this sign was installed then. This photo is from 2003. By 2011, the store had closed and the sign has been covered up. For more, see this website. [map] Pendleton's Jewelry had been here since around 1940. The store closed in 2010 and this sign was gone by 2012. The Evergreen Motor Court has been here since at least 1956. The sign has been changed since then. This photo is from 2011. By 2018, the name on the sign had been changed to the Evergreen Inn. The neon was restored. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map] |
| Helms Candy Co. Bristol, VA |
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| Helms Candy Co. was founded in 1909. The company is known for its soft sugar stick candy in various flavors and five-pound peppermint sticks. [map] |
| Rainbow Autel Bristol, VA |
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| The Rainbow Autel was located in Chilhowie, VA. In 2010, this sign was saved and moved to R.C.'s Storage where it has been restored. "Autel" refers to an auto motel. [map] |
| Robert E. Lee Motel Abingdon, VA (now Bristol, VA) 2003: |
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| The Robert E. Lee Motel was built in the early 1940s. The 35-foot-tall sign which towered over the motel was installed by the early 1950s. The motel officially closed in 1996 but neither it nor the sign had been maintained for decades. The County deemed the dilapidated building beyond repair and had it demolished in 2009. Ron Counts, the owner of RC's Storage, stepped forward to give the sign a new home in Bristol. Counts had the sign moved about a half mile down the Lee Highway to his self-storage business. Although he did much of the painting himself, Counts still spent about $10,000 to move the sign and restore it. Great effort was spent to match the turquoise and white colors of a 1950s postcard and the underlying paint. The original horizontal stripe that had long been missing was added. A local artist, D.R. Mullins, was hired to repaint the portrait of General Lee. There are no plans at this point to replace the sign's neon. The original sign had a piece below the main horizontal portion of the sign that read "Restaurant". That piece was probably removed and destroyed when the restaurant closed. The second floor of this motel was used as one of the earliest Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises until around 1954. The top photos are from 2003; the bottom row of photos from 2007. By 2012, the Summit Drive-in sign from Glade Spring, VA was also on display at RC's Storage. [map] |
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More Bristol:
Bristol Slogan Sign Buchanan:
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| Cape Motel Cape Charles, VA |
Lucky 7 Market Charlottesville, VA |
Lays Hardware Coeburn, VA |
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The Cape Motel and sign are from the 1950s. This photo is from 2001. Sometime after 2015, the sign had been painted a lighter green and red. [map]
The Lucky 7 Market and sign are from the 1960s. [map] Lays Hardware is also gone but the sign remains. [map] |
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More Charlottesville:
Foods of All Nations [gone] Cloverdale:
More Coeburn:
Colonial Beach:
Crewe:
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| Gayheart Drug Store and Luncheonette (now Frost Cafe) Culpeper, VA |
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| The Gayheart Drug Store opened in 1928 and closed in 2002. The store was vacant in 2003. Shortly thereafter, the Frost Cafe took over the space. The store's ceiling, floor, soda fountain, and lunch counter were preserved. The neon sign was adapted with the new name. For more, see this website. [map] |
| Baby Jim's Snack Bar Culpeper, VA |
Masonic Lodge Culpeper, VA |
Dixie Motel [gone] Emporia, VA |
New York Restaurant [gone] Emporia, VA |
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Baby Jim's Snack Bar opened at another location in 1947 and moved to this location in 1952. The restaurant was destroyed in a fire in 2023. The pole sign was moved to the Rock Hill Farm wedding venue in Culpeper where it is displayed outside.
The Masonic Lodge in Culpeper was built in 1900. [map] The Dixie Motel was abandoned for many years. This photo is from 2009. In 2011, the motel was demolished and this sign is gone. This photo of the New York Restaurant sign is from around 2006. By 2008, the restaurant had closed and the sign was gone. [photo thanks Robby Delius] |
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Danville:
Home (of Dan River Fabrics) [map] Duffield:
Farmville:
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Virginia (page 2) |
Virginia (page 3) |
Virginia (page 4) |
| 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. |