Renovation reveals a ghost

Renovations on an old building in downtown Pontiac, Ill., for the soon-to-open International Walldog Mural and Sign Art Museum revealed a long-forgotten wall sign, or “ghost sign,” as they’re frequently called.

A news release from Pontiac Tourism tells the story:

According to Milt Hanson, the city’s Building Maintenance Supervisor, as his crew were preparing to paint the back room of the building, a faded, partially cracked painted sign was found.  Probably painted in the early part of the last century, the sign was an advertisement for one of the clothing stores which previously occupied the space.

Since the new museum will, in part, focus on the history of outdoor, painted wall advertisements and the artists who created them, the recently discovered sign will be preserved and made into one of the many displays planned for the museum.

The museum will open May 1, coinciding with the Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival. Among other things, the museum will display images of outdoor signs associated with the development of Route 66.

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