THE MAIL POUCH SIGN....AUGUST 20 2011................

As you probably know, Mail Pouch barns have been around our area for better than 100 years now.  Wow!

Mail Pouch Barn painting was our very first type of road-side advertising.  The Bloch Bros. Tobacco Company in Wheeling WV started sending crews out in the early 1900's to paint the sign on barns facing the road.  The barn owners received a royalty check each year.  I know of folks today, who still have the MP sign painted on their barns, and they continue to receive these checks. 

But there is this one sign.  No one knows where it came from.  No one knows anything about it.  It is a complete mystery.

Mr Stuart Bloch, a descendant of the original Bloch Brothers, attended our Barnstormers picnic this past August, and spoke to us about the company.

I thought I would share with you how I came to have a picture of this unique sign.

Several years ago while participating in the Salt Fork Arts Festival in Cambridge Ohio I was approached by a gentleman who either worked for, or had worked for, the Tobacco warehouse in Wheeling.

He told me about this sign.  He kindly gave me a phone number.  Needless to say first thing Monday morning, after returning home from the festival, I started making phone calls.  It took me several days, but finally I found the right person. She arranged a Saturday morning appointment for me.

On that Saturday she escorted me to the warehouse, told me I would have 15 minutes, she would be there, as the warehouse was "off limits" to the general public.

The sign was across the warehouse.  There was stuff stacked around it.  There was one lone fluorescent light hanging over it.  Too far away to use the flash, had to make due.  In that 15minutes I managed to get 36 shots  (an entire roll of film) before I was escorted back outside.

After Mr Bloch had made his presentation at the picnic, I approached him and asked him about the sign.  He was not familiar with it, asked me if I could send him a picture.  I did.  I got a very nice reply from him.  All he knew was that at some point in time they were cleaning out one of the rooms, found this sign, and the employees thought it was so interesting they hung it in the warehouse where it remains today.

I have written to Mr. Bloch, asking if it would be possible to re-photograph the sign.  Maybe, just maybe, with the new digital technology I can get a better picture.  Only time will tell.

If, and when, I get to try again, I will continue the story of this particular Mail Pouch Sign.

In the meantime have a great weekend and God Bless.