Vintage neon McDonald’s Hamburgers sign at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

For around 20 years or so, I have been collecting neon and other vintage business signs. I haven’t actually acquired any signs themselves, but taking photos of them in the settings where they stood.

In many cases, I took pictures of signs not long before the businesses that went with them were demolished and the signs disappeared.

See more signs and other videos at Dusty Tires’ Videos page.

I’m not sure what draws me to these signs that date from the 1940s to 1970s. I think it probably has to do with nostalgia and the fact that they were part of the landscape of my childhood. I remember them. They were everywhere when I was growing up, and now you must search long and hard for a glimpse of just one of them.

In fact, many of the signs that I took pictures of when I began taking pictures of them, around 2001 or 2002, are now gone – hopefully to a museum or to a private collection.

There is now a page in Dusty Tires that celebrates neon and vintage signs. There’s also two YouTube slideshow videos below. Take a look and see if you recognize any of these.

The American Sign Museum has a jaw-dropping collection of neon signs from all over the country. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

More signs from all over Ohio are included in this video. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

If you would like to see neon and other vintage signs in their full glory, the best place to go is the American Sign Museum, located at 1330 Monmouth Ave., Cincinnati. It is the largest public museum dedicated to signs in the United States and it is well worth a trip to the Queen City.

And if you know of a sign in Ohio that would be a good subject to photograph, please let me know!

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Ken Drenten is creator and manager of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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