As I search for the locations of these long gone bottlers, I happen upon some ghosts from their vibrant past. These come in the form of painted wall signs and many of them can be interesting. Here are some that I have found so far and where I found them.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrEgH2kV0CEzghWl9hprtJIRNmutOONHPs23cRpr5A81hnV5JEqeeoe16OZAADyThDHxHdsNQYEYgz5jvoleauvszz4mQuL8RHkYUuTOu3G4ohm1_B_b9LlH964O6mmNt7kd3zEzaPZk/s320/jvdrug-ccsign.JPG) |
This is the wall of the Jones Vance Drug Company in Johnson City, Tennessee. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyQ0lQBBT6H74sArXWKvC14AaO1BfUZxHhziImzLeErqCfLJDXlq2nd6psQGXw_Yd1CU29HKL5AsOjNP6rhc9-Oq-Q90kySdMv4t8jlgyllQVnXq70VhPJ6vu2JGNmM-dU94DpGGnSXQ/s320/ccfivecent.JPG) |
Just across the street from the Jones Vance building is this sign which was partially covered by another smaller building until a few years ago. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiou3rCCpbi86mU3BgTO-QoQQBgQlYFIdoupaDN4gsGsRdPY4ZJgxEwf4SpfsSeDgRO0vXAhvvxk0C2BWqNKvvL5w1IvtTscoV7xpFpCQmj3TfPQ-OWnmetbo-d9lGdeLbDaCW2GZvOCJI/s320/tipton24.jpg) |
To give you a sense of age of this particular sign here is a photo showing the newly built building that helped preserve the bottom part of the sign, as you can tell from the cars this sign is quite early. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPc8kWdpaXb5GldkHGl4VLrLKlpCY-a5JNgJD-vPgP_hm3gVnoXGl_BNiWnuc6YJlJcumNr7Gh8G5DGfQtQ7fTZap2YCJCbUF9SMS9C9mPiZ1ERjYQ3W5aIflUN-tO9JqgAjfvKZRZqo/s320/bristolcoke.jpg) |
This is a sign just off of State Street in downtown Bristol, VA. I would love to see this one restored. It's huge! |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4pCkxRFJFD3nPcF0_mV2vTf9tG1qOb0pVT6FJWOySjn4D5HhnzfkSp5Oh2B9J7GxFWIPEtD3JjiG4NrcPzuueX9GuL83UU2pTlLJ9DBS-JjakaBwZOD5yfk07bnAuBN_E0Ut69X-46w/s320/cokeadvert2-bri.jpg) |
Also in Bristol is this newer Enjoy Coke sign, even a sign this new is in danger of fading into history. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLqG344IakOfMB5ymtdGD_dclmPHtwzDwc59TvnRApZLejXicShfBXRXO7ngdmgmN5AX5iwMfulxSokq6Z_5iCuhVvXqrch-RnELn533N3vjD_BANt1FSjmdUOfvHmYmTKdidhOqWY04/s320/upper10.jpg) |
This sign is on a store in an area of Tazewell County Virginia known as Baptist Valley. You don't often see Upper 10 painted wall signs. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyfPHgIGLGBm9W266srJpCP_nNzjeEE7yGFKD2R2YzmqbRQDYorEu0tAAA9xbI5Pb628sFoK-0ODAvLb4IAY43QJ9nanbKQUKq8gQrGkIsv4Yt5YDm_2i2V1tn0aBhH9wYmDMis_kVbWY/s320/rccola1.jpg) |
On the other side of the same building is this RC cola sign, you can even see the older sign ghosting through the present paint. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2O-pCvnSDzkaAiLuFsX31YghuqOj_xPBCHMf3ctmJcfJ1ZvD_sSAtjDIVInRMPPuYVpjo2vQ4_nX2l_jlXzaA3ks5hQcsa_s2LIiNHefi1QauMtzCxGT7CNiSJZqlven8Z96QIk_YZI/s320/toneystore.jpg) |
This is a store just outside the town of Tazewell, VA. Like the Baptist Valley sign there is ghosting from an earlier sign showing through the present sign. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4kUcJK3Oyb3QlVWGR9PyHo6nOyPZpbONxtpel89ChxB01qI_li9wDDYdFCfFNphzZBYURdrhhaXYwpP2hbh4vFHcE0qI3w96IRZyQXwTXxsaA8eGpkmUgSaP3_hF8O8D_rQ96H-_1TM/s320/rhythmpunchsign.jpg) |
It's one thing to find national brands such as Coke, Pepsi, or RC, but it is an entirely different thing to find a local brand painted on a wall. This is Rhythm Punch a grape soda produced only by the Sun Rise Bottling Company which was located in Tazewell, VA. This sign is on both sides of the building shown above. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklk3ynmhws4lwDS05_10SEcv1H0weXdhnC-IQ0WD9JBCOtg-QeRU7JALlMUT6OvIkOG7Mcg8gypK694uivzrfovD-TuBzUrm4iiSCx2k6MCcuawdCnR8S4LggXFOuV9P-S1hJNlZnygs/s320/7upsign.jpg) |
Below that sign was this metal 7-up sign long since rusted into oblivion. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSCF-BvLOFlLT1uevEBFrtqk4IE3fsZMG6v8ssC2EhX0pr9onFMD1gM9B93IVypBLOnzQ6nRs5GINC_hQIrrlDjI2AVygZrtLpIrO8QbycPnWLXFB9LT-XNr_rsl0rtGCiVSDRBzuR_8/s320/pocahontas.JPG) |
Now this is an interesting ghost sign indeed from Pocahontas, VA. For some reason there is a part of the building that is either missing or the sign extended out from the building. It was covered up by another building for a long time and that building is now gone revealing this. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQi-1XOEG16CW5Tk_lzxRQqjQzhUffMBor0BTkwugvBbmCPOjjIOrEAr8jTK22X_N-liaYaVqL0h7KXK9b29T1nC0DguxRG4gVvWso6KjhxdDBWb0vlfR1wqFJsL-TR684_hPLiRYd7g/s320/pepsiprince.jpg) |
As I was prowling around a road just outside of Princeton, WV, I ran upon this sign on the side of this long shuttered store. There wasn't really enough room to get off the road properly. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjVcGUq-5OeHtCptEiVn8T_JjrQDpM65u-gOn-u-lt9YZYwmvXadMR7xmgVNlaDMEFaLNAI34iL6DDLFtU_AsGKm6y92LVYZ3GveDybMvd916sY0I7YGnXSFXcN3Pbn1vLYZnzZ9BNj8/s320/princetonwv.jpg) |
Very near the railroad depot in Princeton, WV is this sign. I wish I could read the rest of the sign, but very little remains aside from the obvious. |
No comments:
Post a Comment