Barn Advertising
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Before folks traveled almost exclusively on interstate highways, when two-lane roads often wound past farms and through small towns, barns were a valuable and often-used medium for advertising. They were bigger than billboards, and probably less expensive as well.
Uploaded by rvtravel.com.
Seems like most of the barns either featured tobacco products, soft drinks, or local attractions. The Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company made the first concerted push for barns, and its Mail Pouch brand is said to have been painted on more than 20,000 barns in 22 states. Southerners couldn’t go far without being implored to See Rock City.
The highways have made barn advertising a reminder of simpler days, but at last the powers that be finally recognized the treasure right under their noses. The National Historic Barn Preservation Act now protects barns older than 50 years from being destroyed by the self-righteous tobacco-hating nannies who would destroy American heritage so they could feel better about themselves.