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Wisconsin Signs (page 1)

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Duke's [gone]
Abbotsford, WI		 Marge's
Flowers [gone]
Abbotsford, WI		 Decker's
Uncle Sam
Fireworks [gone]
Abrams, WI		 Standard Oil
Ashland, WI
Duke's opened in 1934. The name was changed to Duke's Bowl in 1936. This sign has been there since then. There was previously a bowling pin sign attached to it. By 2007, the pin had been removed and restored but I don't know where it is now. Duke's closed in 2014. The text sign was still there in 2015 but, by 2018, it was gone. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Marge's Flowers was established in 1951. This sign was probably from then or shortly after that. The store had closed and the sign was gone by 2018.

Decker's Uncle Sam Fireworks moved to Howard, WI but this sign remained when this photo was taken in 2011. By 2013, the sign was gone. I believe this sign was from the early 1990s.

This Standard Oil sign is located at Pagac's Bar. I don't believe this sign was here originally. It still has the glass flame on top which was originally lit with a bulb inside. The neon "GAS" letters were added many years later. By 2023, the neon had been replaced with a plastic letter panel reading "GAS." [map]

Altoona:
400 Club

Antigo:
Yesterdays Sign Park

Baileys Harbor:
Florian II Supper Club

Badger
Cleaners
Baraboo, WI		 Ploetz
Furniture
Baraboo, WI		 Kwik-Wash Laundry
Baraboo, WI		 4 Winds Motel
Baraboo, WI
The Badger Cleaners sign had neon originally and it might have had a different name originally. [map]

The Ploetz Furniture sign is probably from the 1940s or 1950s. For more, see this website. [map]

This Kwik-Wash Laundry sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. The arrow apparently had neon originally. In 2018, the plastic panels were removed and replaced with panels for the Baraboo Social Club barber shop. [map]

The 4 Winds Motel opened in 1954. This sign must have been created after that. The Gumby cartoon character "borrowed" for this sign hadn't debuted until a few years later. Most likely, this sign was from the 1960s or 1970s. Only one of the panels has the Gumby character. I assume both sides originally had him and that one of the panels was broken and replaced at some point. For more, see this website. [map]

More Baraboo:
Barn Restaurant

Beaver Dam:
Walker's Restaurant
Welcome sign

Morning Star
Masonic Lodge No. 10
Beloit, WI		 88 Tavern [gone]
Beloit, WI		 Stanton's Shoes
Beloit, WI
The Morning Star Lodge No. 10 is a Masonic organization. This sign might be from the 1930s or 1940s. [map]

The 88 Tavern was also known as "Kline's Club 88". This sign might be from the 1940s. It was produced by General Neon Products of Beloit. In 2022, the bar closed and this sign was sold at auction. For more, see this website.

Stanton's Shoes has been at this location since 1907. I believe the sign is from 1951. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Riverside Motel [gone]
Beloit, WI		 Welders Supply Co.
Beloit, WI
The Riverside Motel sign was probably from the 1940s or 1950s. The sign was gone by 2018.

The Welders Supply Co. was established in 1938. This sign is most likely from the 1950s. The lightning bolts flash on and off. [map]

More Beloit:
Independent Order of Odd Fellows [gone]
Varney Printers [gone]

Birchwood:
Bluegill Bar [map]

Sands Motel [gone]
Boscobel, WI		 former Valenti Classics [gone]
Caledonia, WI
The Sands Motel sign was probably from the 1950s. This photo is from 2012. By 2015, the motel was still there but had replaced this neon sign with a plastic box sign. For more, see this website.

Valenti Classics featured this rooftop Corvette outlined with neon. The car was installed in the 1980s and the neon added in 1995. Valenti moved to a new location. By 2012, the sign was adapted for Zarate's Auto Sales. There is now another used car dealership there. The sign is now painted white and the neon is gone. The Corvette is still there. For more, see this website. [map]

More Boscobel:
Unique Cafe

Cameron:
Crossroads Cafe

Stonewall Pub
Cedarburg, WI		 Easy Street Pub & Grill
Cedarburg, WI
The Stonewall Pub and the Easy Street Pub & Grill are across the street from each other and have two different styles of Blatz Beer signs. There are more examples of Blatz Beer signs at Northern Advertising in Antigo, WI. [Stonewall map]; [Easy map]

Bob's Grill [gone]
Chetek, WI		 Chetek Cafe
Chetek, WI
Bob's Grill opened in 1947. I believe the restaurant had been at this location since 1956 and this sign was probably from then. In 2018, the restaurant closed and the sign was removed. It was donated to the Chetek Area Historical Society.

The Chetek Cafe was located just a few blocks away. It moved into the Bob's Grill space and the first sign shown above was installed in the same spot where the Bob's Grill sign was. I don't know what happened with the vertical sign. The Chetek Cafe signs were previously repainted for Carole's Cafe (2005) and TC Cafe (2007). The neon tubing holes seem to match up with Chetek Cafe which was probably the original name. For more, see this website. [map]

Chilton:
Thunderbird Motel

Indianhead Motel
Chippewa Falls, WI		 Capri Steak
House [gone
Columbus, WI		 All-American Liquor [gone]
Cross Plains, WI
The Indianhead Motel opened in 1958 and this sign was installed then. There were two parts below this sign which were removed around 1990: a tomahawk which read "Television" and an arrow below that which read "Air Conditioned". The sign was repainted in 2008. It is about seven feet wide and is lit with red neon. For more, see this website. [map]

The Capri Steak House had been here since at least the mid-1960s. By 2021, the sign was adapted for Tequilas Bar & Grill. For more, see this website. [map]

This Blatz sign hung outside of All-American Liquor when this photo was taken in 2013. By 2016, the sign was gone. There are more of these signs in Madison, WI.

More Cross Plains:
Heileman's Old Style [gone]

Sullivan's Shoe Shine Parlor
Cudahy, WI		 Ambrose Motel
Cumberland, WI
Sullivan's Shoe Shine Parlor opened here in 1934. I believe the store is closed now. The part of the sign behind the tree on the left reads "Hats Cleaned Blocked". [map]

Ambrose Motel was built in 1953 and this sign is probably from then. [map]

Deer Park:
Deer's Bar

Ehlenbach's
Cheese Chalet
DeForest, WI		 Club Dugout [gone]
Dickeyville, WI		 Red Wing Trading Post [gone]
Eagle River, WI
Ehlenbach's Cheese Chalet was established in 1969. Fenlon's House of Cheese was previously at this location. I don't know when this mouse sign was built. There is also a Giant Cow in front of the store. [map]

The Club Dugout has been closed since at least 2007 when this photo was taken. The sign was still there in 2012 but gone by 2017.

The Red Wing Trading Post main, vertical sign appeared to be pre-1950s. It might have been from the 1940s. In the 1960s, it read "Souvenirs" vertically and "Gifts" at the bottom. The panel sign next to it reads "Gifts", "Moccasins", "Novelties", and "Sporting Goods". The "Tackle/License" sign was either new or was recently refurbished. That sign was gone by 2018. The main signs were removed around 2024.

De Pere:
Union Hotel

Dunbar:
Richard's of Dunbar Supper Club & Motel

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