Alleys

When going through towns many people tend to ignore the backsides of the buildings and stick mostly to the main streets, while I often find myself slipping back into the alleys behind.

    The main street through most towns and villages shows the best side of the community. The stores are painted nicely, the sidewalks are clean and there usually isn’t much litter along the curbs. The streets are well lit. The views are beckoning you in, inviting you to stop and stay for a while.

    This isn’t always the case for the alleys. Collections of trash cans and dumpsters intrude into narrow roadways. Unwanted furniture and electronics sit beside the cans with scraps of paper and bits of food scattered around. Occasionally the smells of the alleys can get a bit overwhelming. Rodents can sometimes be seen but most often they hide from us, the intruders.

    The road surfaces are filled with potholes, asphalt is broken and missing in places, bricks or cobblestone can be seen under the blacktop, evidence of the town’s past. So much of the alleys are reminders of the past. Loading docks and heavy doors line the alley along with stairways leading up to the floors above or to apartments and offices higher up. In older industrial areas, cranes hang out over the roadway to help in loading or unloading trucks. Ghost signs sit fading away on the walls.

    These back roads are often used as galleries for artist wannabes. Occasionally there are masterpieces hidden in the graffiti, artwork painted on the walls that few ever see. Sometimes they share the walls with ghost signs, they are both remnants of someone or something that was here before. Sadly, I feel that most of the graffiti is from people who have a desire to be remembered. Don't we all? It is amazing the efforts they must take to put some of these pieces onto the buildings.

    What was once the main road through town may have become one of these alleys. Now they are no longer seen since the town has expanded. Streams or rivers can be hiding behind the buildings on main street. Railroad tracks that once fed the businesses can be rusting away beside these dark streets, while in other places, trains speed past, no longer even slowing down.

    Alleys are like regular streets but they can also show the darker side of a town or city. There are some people who desire to stay out of sight, unnoticed, and prefer the less traveled roads. People with poor morals or bad intentions may decide to call these places their own. The chance for crime rises as we leave people’s sight and enter into the darkness. Common sense is important when visiting these or any unfamiliar site.

    Like the main streets, the alleyways of a town can show visitors a lot about the community. They aren’t always pretty and inviting but, in some ways, that is exactly what adds to the appeal of visiting them.

    We all have alleys of our own, hidden behind the façade we show to our friends, family and even ourselves. Our minds are filled with alleyways. Don’t be afraid to visit those alleys and if needed, do some cleaning. There are times that it can take some effort to brighten them up but it’s always worthwhile. Let the good and artistic things stay but clean up the garbage. We all know that once you allow trash to remain un-cleaned, the vermin moves in and none of us want that!

I See Ghosts!

Whenever we drive into a new town or city, we always look at the buildings.  They give us an idea of what the town is like now and what it used to be like. They tell us a little bit about their history, they tell us a bit about the people who founded the towns and what they did.

    It isn’t so much the new, shiny glamorous buildings that have recently been erected; it is the older buildings, the ones which aren’t streamlined, dull and boxy or looking just the same as the others around them. We look for the buildings in-between the new ones, the ones still remaining. Those with ledges complete with nice patterns carved into them, false facades crowning their fronts, fancy brickwork, maybe even gargoyles. Its things such as these that set them apart from the newer creations. It often seems that an older, dilapidated building has more class as compared to a new sleek building that was planned complete with a tight financial bottom line in its plans.

    Driving past these older buildings we often spot painted signs on them. If we are lucky, a complete sign will be visible. A sign advertising a company that used to occupy the building or maybe a product such as candy, flour, chewing tobacco or a soft drink. Coca-Cola and Mail Pouch Tobacco signs can be seen all over the place! Some signs are so faded that you can only guess what they might have said while others appear as if they’d been painted yesterday. Many of these signs have been painted over with other signs, making them even harder to read!

    They are called “Ghost Signs” The men who painted them, called Wall Dogs or Barn Lizards used oil and lead based paints which helped the signs last longer. The men who painted them did it by hand, they were true artisans!

    Many of these signs are found near the centers of towns or in the commercial districts. They are also seen near railroad stations and places where newcomers might congregate. In some cases, a new building was built beside a sign, hiding it from view and also the damaging effects of sun and weather. When the building was demolished, the sign became visible again. There may be many you pass daily and never notice, they have become part of our background. Further out from the cities, in the country side, Mail Pouch tobacco signs decorate barns in over 20 states. Between 1891 and 1992 thousands of barns were painted with their ads. A pair of skilled men could do 2 barns in 12 hours!

    The signs may be for Banks, Savings and Loans, Tailors, Machine Shops, Shoe Stores, Drug Stores and Grocery shops. They advertised the things that the people needed. The signs are a part of their history! A lot of communities are still using these signs though now they are more as a tourist attraction as compared to a selling device. Some have restored older signs and some have painted new signs. To someone who looks for ghost signs, these aren’t quite the same as finding the older, original signs. They consider re-painting a sign sort of like re-touch a piece of artwork. These were done by masters of their craft and by re-touching it, you might be possibly damaging it. The new signs, while they look nice, aren’t quite as exciting as the originals!

    Here are a few of the signs we have come across in our travels. Most of them are original but there are a few that are reproductions. When you’re out on the road, keep an eye out for these old pieces of artwork. 

I don’t know about you, but I believe in ghosts! Keep watching for them, you’ll see them sooner than you think!