Orinoka Mills

More info on the mill here.


UPDATE: Although some independent textile and manufacturing businesses still operate in the newer buildings of the Orinoka Mills complex, most of the older buildings have suffered serious deterioration since having been left vacant for more than a decade, losing brick, cornices and other features. The City of Philadelphia demolished this older half of the mill building on Ruth Street due to falling brickwork in the summer of 2011. Unfortunately, this is the portion of the building that featured this Orinoka Mill painted sign.

Somerset and Ruth Streets [map]

Kolb's, Bond Bread

UPDATE: Building has been demolished.



"Kolb's" at top, a local baker.
"Bond Bread" in center.
"FRUIT HEART"? in the center, "5¢" just below that
and "CHEWING GUM EVER" at bottom.
Numerous illustrations and devices.



The following was  listed in the 1909 Philadelphia City Directory:
Kolb's Bakeries, 10th and Reed, Broad and Butler, and 56th and Market.


The history of Bond Bread can be traced to 1911, when the General Baking Co. was incorporated in New York as an amalgamation of 19 former baking businesses. Apparently, one of those bakeries was local Kolb Bakery. By 1930 the company owned 50 plants serving cities in 18 states. The production of bread, sold under the trade name of "Bond Bread," accounted for over 90 percent of its sales and production averaged nearly 1.5 million loaves per day.


There were many competitors in the marketplace, and advertising played a big role. Bond sponsored television programs, ran commercials and ads in magazines, and placed priviledge signs such as this one in neighborhoods.


By the early 1960s General Baking was suffering from increased competition from supermarkets, many of which had begun equipping their stores with their own bakeries. In addition, charges of illegally conspiring to fix bread prices in the Philadelphia and New York area hurt the brand.  By 1972 the company had disposed of virtually all of the Bond division.



Here are images of the location dated 11/13/1953...


...and 3/17/1954...

In both shots you can see the older signage revealing itself.

PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 25 November 2008. <http://www.phillyhistory.org>.

19th and Catherine Streets [map]

Livery and Boarding, Stables

"Livery and Boarding" "Stables"


Shown as "LIVERY" on 1910 atlas, but space was a marble yard in 1895, and only building is shown as industrial use afterward.

1200 block N 4th Street [map]

Girard Auto Parts

"Girard Auto Parts" etc, a modern sign.
Unknown older signage appears beneath.

Girard and Leithgow St [map]

T.J. Cobourn, Groce(r) and Camac Food Market

"T.J. Cobourn, Groce(r)"
and newer "Camac Food Market" "FREE DELIVERY" "Phone XX 6-1776" "Every body likes ..."

Here is the location when it actually was the Camac Food Market, dated 3/2/1959...


PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 25 November 2008. <http://www.phillyhistory.org>.

Spruce and Camac Streets [map]

By all means BUY (?) MILK

"By all means BUY... MILK" at top, "SUPPLEE WILLS-JONES" at bottom.

Here is the location in a photo dated 8/1/1955...

... and the sign is not visible. Painted over?

Tagline could be "By all means buy Gold Medal Milk" as in this photo of a Supplee-Wills-Jones billboard (far right just in front of the car) taken in an unkown area of Philadelphia in 1923... the lettering styles do match up:



A large local dairy and ice cream manufacturer, Supplee-Wills-Jones carried their own brand(s) as well as distributed Sealtest. In 1950 the company was 145 years old - unsure when or if the company was bought or closed.

PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 25 November 2008. <http://www.phillyhistory.org> and
Duke University Digital Collections, R.C. Maxwell Company Records

5th and Fairmount [map]

Tassels, Fringes

Sign over window reads "TRO...S ...WOOD"


Here is the location in a photo dated 3/8/1949...

... and here is the location in a photo dated 6/28/1949. These were taken to document the paving over of the cobblestones. In both photos, you can see the building in the upper right corner, and the signage on the very edge of the corner reads "TASSELS" and "FRINGES". Unsure what this business was.


Early atlases have this building as a corn and hominy mill.

PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 25 November 2008. <http://www.phillyhistory.org>.

6th and Berks Street [map]

La...

"La..."
Newer signage.

5th and Berks Street [map]

Photo Process Screen Mfg.

"Photo Process Screen Mfg. Silk Screens & Supplies"

A bunch of great small signs all over the building.
Many of these small signs seem to be painted over older signs.






In operation from this location for over 65 years. Still in business.


179 West Berks Street [map]

Unknown - Fairmount and Bodine Streets

For the most part illegible. Can make out a double lowercase script Ls at top. Large illustrations (a jar or bottle against a light circular field). Numerous overlapping signs. Huge, covers whole side of building.


Listed as a multi-family dwelling with commercial on the first floor in 1942, but photos below show the building with a renovated facade and no sign. Seems the advertisement had been covered over and is now reappearing.




Building seen here in 1955, but sign is not visible.

Fairmount and Bodine Street [map]

Orman Jingle Bell / Commercial Warehousing

"COMMERCIAL WAREHOUSING CO." along Weccacoe avenue, painted over older signage.


The native Lenni Lenape Indians called their land (mostly all of South Philadelphia) Weccacoe, which means "pleasant place". Bonded warehouse, active until at least 1980, shown on atlases as far back as 1942. 


Currently occupied by Orman Inc, or Orman Jungle Bell, established in 1973 as a wholesaler of Christmas lights and decorations.

Weccacoe Ave and Wolf St [map]

Philly Ghost Signs on Google Maps

View Larger Map


Almost all the posts on this site have been positioned on the above interactive Google Map so you can accurately find where these signs are located.

Center City Ghost Sign Photo makes Schmap Philadelphia Guide

A photo of a ghost sign I took in 2005 (previously posted here) has been selected for inclusion in the newly released fifth edition of the Schmap Philadelphia Guide:

Schmap is a leading publisher of digital travel guides for 200 destinations throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The innovative technology behind Schmap Guides also lets end users publish their own ‘schmaps’ (to share trip itineraries, local reviews and more), and powers a popular range of Schmap Widgets, displaying maps with content and event schedules for travel, sports, concert tours and more on a fast-growing network of websites and blogs. Founded in 2004, Schmap is privately owned and based in Carrboro, North Carolina.

Chestnut between 7th and 8th [map]

Excerpt from "Draplin Project"

A snippet from Jess Gibson's "Draplin Project". Somewhat related to signage design, more about the declining state of design in America. Language definitely not safe for work.

Designphiladelphia Feature

Today the Designphiladelphia blog featured a post about the Philly Ghost Signs Project blog. If you've arrived here from the post, welcome! If you haven't, you can read the full write-up here.

Kevin Derrick, who runs the blog, read a little deeper into the content contained here, beyond just the collection of photos of old buildings:

In doing this work, the photo-journal simultaneously questions our past, present and future all under the beguiling premise of peeling paint... Something of a revelation and altogether extraordinary, certainly.

The blog is the ongoing online presence of Designphiladelphia, a series of events that include studio tours, lectures, exhibitions, workshops, book signings and parties in and around Philadelphia design institutions.

If you have any tips or information on signs that you know about, please send me an email via the link at right. Thanks for looking!

Harbison Dairy Milk Bottle Water Tower

Not the best shot, taken with my phone. Will have to come back to reshoot.

Some history:

Harbisons Dairies built the water tower around 1914. There were two other bottles at the intersections of Kensington and Erie avenues and another at York Road and Ontario Street in Kensington. it was a water tank for the sprinkler systems.

Over time, the milk bottles became trademarks for the company. When the original milk bottle and the plant that it was attached to were sold to the Novick Brothers food company (for a mere $40,000 in 1951), an agreement was drawn up: The water tower was to remain and if the shape was not changed, the plant's new owners were allowed to paint it any color but white. It took a while, but eventually the agreement was honored and the bottle was painted gray and black.

Today, Harbisons Dairies are no longer in business (the company was sold in 1966), and all that remains is the original bottle, rusted and in danger of meeting the same fate as the other two. The bottle, nominated to the Preservation Alliance's Endangered Properties List in both 2003 and 2004 is said in the alliance's newsletter to be "not as significant as many other sites.

Great article here. More information here.

Coral and Abigail Streets [map]

Schaffer Furniture

"Schaffer Furniture"

Corners, Bainbridge and Fairhill Streets [map]

Lou Wolff & Sons

"Lou Wolff Quality Used Cars"

Not really a "ghost" sign, since the 80+ year old business is still operating on these premises. But the great hand lettering just needed to be captured. Note the use of exchange names/letters in the phone numbers.


The image below, taken 1/13/1959, shows the garage (see the "514" address numerals) connected to a larger building which housed the Arctic Refrigeration Service Company, complete with it's own faded wall signage. This dates the Lou Wolff sign to at least late 1959, since this building has yet to be demolished, and all-numeric phone numbers were not commonplace until after 1960.







Also note that the large, more colorful sign on the office across the street reads "Lou Wolff & Sons", and the phone number is all-numeric, making this sign newer.


PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 23 February 2012. <http://www.phillyhistory.org>.

E Palmer Street and E Girard Ave‎ [map]