Previously, we took a short tour around downtown Joplin with photographs of some of the surviving painted signs of Joplin’s past. Out of the destruction of the May 22 tornado and the consequential demolition, we discovered a new addition to the club, featured below; a sign from the past.
Painted on the sides and fronts of buildings are glimpses of another time in Joplin. Prior to the more popular use of neon, plastic, and other materials, paint, often applied straight onto the building, was the most common form of advertising. A drive around downtown Joplin reveals the remnants of these past days long gone. Below are a number of shots of some, but not all such wonderful instances:
An early photo of Joplin's Main Street reveals a number of painted signs.
Ben Franklin Five and Dime
Close up of the previous image.
Buggies
'S Electric
Bell Neon Center
Note the length of the phone number for the business.
Salvation Army sign on the Hulbert Chapel (which is part of the next proposed historic district)
Close Up of the Salvation Army sign
Engineers Building
Rent-A-Car / Drive Yourself
Paige Service
Joplin Mercantile Company
Joplin Mercantile Company close up
These legacies of the past are easily lost, be it from neglect or intentional destruction. Let’s treasure the ones we have, as they serve as a direct connection to the past and offer a glimpse of another time.
