#brickad

[fractialis]

Classic brick ad for Pepsi-Cola in downtown Thomasville, North Carolina. #pepsi #pepsicola #brickad #ghostad #thomasville #thomasvillenc #northcarolina (at Thomasville, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChuM6R8A2Cm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fractialis]

Tried to recreate the old Holbrook and Winfrey Saloon and Restaurant ghost ad that used to be on the side of 415 Trade Street. It was removed when that wall was rebuilt. I know of only two photos of it, unfortunately they are not all that great. The one I have here was taken in 1995. Like many ghost ads, this one looks like it was painted over with the word AMERICAN replacing the name WINFREY. However, because the photograph is of such low resolution, I can't really tell for sure. #ghostad #brickad #winstonsalem #winstonsalemhistory (at Winston-Salem, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjPBWdvASXw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fractialis]

Another photo of the Coca-Cola ad on the side of Bold Coffee Company in downtown Asheboro, North Carolina. @theboldcoffeeco #coffeeshop #boldcoffeeco #ad #brickad #asheboronc #asheboro #northcarolina #cocacola (at Asheboro, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgeguyQgbq-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fractialis]

Another faded ghost sign along Canal St. These ghost signs tell the city's history just as much as it's historic architecture. That is, if they are not faded beyond recognition. #ghostsign #ghostad #ad #brickad #neworleans #louisiana #nolaphotoguild #prcnola #nolahistory #louisianahistory (at New Orleans, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXT0eVZFR3g/?utm_medium=tumblr

[fractialis]

Ghost sign at the intersection of John Churchill Chase Street and Annunciation Street. #neworleans #neworleanslouisiana #neworleanshistory #brickad #ghostsign #ghostad #louisiana #nolaphotoguild #nola (at New Orleans, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUGMvGTFCFi/?utm_medium=tumblr

[americanguide]

GHOST SIGNS - ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA

Like whispers from the past, or phantom apparitions, a handful of almost unreadable ghost signs can still be found on a scattering of brick buildings in Lowertown Saint Paul.

A ghost sign, or "brickad," is a hand-painted advertisement. Once bold hucksters, they announced store names, services and products. Some of them were painted over a hundred years ago. Now they are faded, peeled, and bleached from constant exposure to sun and rain, heat and cold. Faint, almost invisible, they have a ghostly ethereal quality that speaks of a different time, before television and the internet. 

These muted signs tell the city's story. They remind us of our heritage and those who came before us, the ones who forged the way into the present.

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Marianne McNamara is a retired jack of all trades turned writer living in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Find her at 16celsius.blogspot.com.