West Virginia route markers of the 1960s

[Andrew T.]

I have a photographic memory.  But only for certain details.



In 1990 or early 1991, I was in downtown Princeton, West Virginia.  I saw an old, weathered sign for Route 20 unlike any I had seen before:  A thick black border surrounding a vertically-elongated rectangle, with the route number crammed inside (approximated above).  This image became seared into my mind.

I never saw it again.  On my very next trip to downtown Princeton, it had been replaced by a new sign.

When the AARoads Shield Gallery went online in the 2000s, it was filled with plenty of WV route marker images both older and newer...but none of this elusive template from the 1960s.  For a time, I began to wonder whether this design was even real, or if it had just been a product of my imagination.  Ditto small white county road signs, which I figured were from the same era.

But lo and behold, the 1960s design was real, and in recent years I've been able to corroborate it with vintage photos!  I'll be posting several of these shortly...and if anyone else has photo evidence (or possibly even an actual sign), I would love to see it.

[The_Ginger]

I, too like this shield design. It is a shame it wasn't used more often. As for vintage photos, I know of one:

(https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A4X2ATG4TZHQEK8W)
The shield is in the top center, and shows what you were describing. Notice the lack of cardinal direction banner.

I notice your diagram has smashed Series C digits. The shields used had Series B digits, and they were just like the black-on-white shields, I believe.

This is my mock-up on Wikimedia Commons. Of course, the current WV 68 didn't exist during when these shields existed, but one can dream. 

[Andrew T.]

WV 56 and WV 2, from the 1967 Ravenswood High School yearbook.  Both look to be Series C.


WV 16 and a very old US 52, from the 1971 Welch High School yearbook (with post-processing crosshatch effects).


US 50 and WV 20 in Clarksburg, from the 1965 Washington Irving High School yearbook.  The Route 20 sign uses Series B.  There's also an overhead guide sign with outlined green shields and rectangles.


WV Alternate 3 and WV 20 in Hinton (cropped and adjusted for perspective); source WVU Libraries, date unknown (though after 1964).  The Alt 3 sign actually has "ALTERNATE" written in small letters above the digit on the route marker itself.  This WV 20 sign uses an off-model font; probably a hand-drawn stand-in for Series C.  And the assembly uses the fat arrows seen sporadically in this era.


US 19 and WV 7 on University Avenue in Morgantown; source WVU Libraries, 1965.  Series C on both signs, with the distinctive "9" and cut-corner "7" that were seen in WV back in the day.  And more overhead signs with outlined green shields and rectangles, for WV 7, WV 92, US 119, WV 73, and US 19:  A bonanza!


A near-identical set of overhead signs were also in place over High Street...and miraculously, I was able to take a photo of them just weeks before they disappeared in 2004!  WV 73 and 92 had been decommissioned for years by that point, so I was shocked that these signs lasted as long as they did.

[The_Ginger]

WV 56 and WV 2, from the 1967 Ravenswood High School yearbook.  Both look to be Series C.

snipped

Way cool! The Ravenswood one looks to fit with the photo that I dug up, and I suspect that intersection received new signs in the early 1960s. I'm not sure if they were replaced again before 1980, but they could have been.

[Andrew T.]

Hi Ginger.  Love the avatar!!

I notice your diagram has smashed Series C digits. The shields used had Series B digits, and they were just like the black-on-white shields, I believe.

This is my mock-up on Wikimedia Commons. Of course, the current WV 68 didn't exist during when these shields existed, but one can dream. 

From the evidence scrounged up so far, these signs varied a lot in terms of fonts and the thickness of the outside border.  I'm not sure which version is the most "correct."  And some of them undoubtedly were 1948-spec white-border signs with touched-up edges, which muddies matters even further!

Anyway, 1961-68 appears to be the approximate era for these signs.  Here's a sign assembly diagram I found here dated 12 March 1968, showing that they had standardized on the square border by then:

I, too like this shield design. It is a shame it wasn't used more often. As for vintage photos, I know of one:

(https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A4X2ATG4TZHQEK8W)
The shield is in the top center, and shows what you were describing. Notice the lack of cardinal direction banner.

Way cool! The Ravenswood one looks to fit with the photo that I dug up, and I suspect that intersection received new signs in the early 1960s. I'm not sure if they were replaced again before 1980, but they could have been.

Great picture!!  The signs in the yearbook pic faced northbound traffic on Ravenswood Road (at Mulberry Street), just four blocks away from the ferry slip.

West Virginia appeared to be very inconsistent about the use of directional banners until the 1970s...maddening, given the state's irregular topography and the non-intuitive cardinal directions of many roads!  At least the modern standard is very good:  Of all the things there are to criticize WV for, highway signage isn't one of them.

[The_Ginger]

Hi Ginger.

Hello!    For future reference, my real name isn't Ginger. The profile name is meant to imply that I have orange-red hair, and sometimes that is referred to as being a ginger, for some reason.

Love the avatar!!

Thank you! The colors are MUTCD colors, adding a roadgeek-y element to the design.

I notice your diagram has smashed Series C digits. The shields used had Series B digits, and they were just like the black-on-white shields, I believe.

This is my mock-up on Wikimedia Commons. Of course, the current WV 68 didn't exist during when these shields existed, but one can dream. 

From the evidence scrounged up so far, these signs varied a lot in terms of fonts and the thickness of the outside border.  I'm not sure which version is the most "correct."  And some of them undoubtedly were 1948-spec white-border signs with touched-up edges, which muddies matters even further!

Anyway, 1961-68 appears to be the approximate era for these signs.  Here's a sign assembly diagram I found here dated 12 March 1968, showing that they had standardized on the square border by then:

I see. It seems that they weren't very popular, or couldn't be read at long distances. Did the SRC ever just produce this sign, or did the square ones exist in 1961 as well?

I, too like this shield design. It is a shame it wasn't used more often. As for vintage photos, I know of one:

(https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A4X2ATG4TZHQEK8W)
The shield is in the top center, and shows what you were describing. Notice the lack of cardinal direction banner.

Way cool! The Ravenswood one looks to fit with the photo that I dug up, and I suspect that intersection received new signs in the early 1960s. I'm not sure if they were replaced again before 1980, but they could have been.

Great picture!!  The signs in the yearbook pic faced northbound traffic on Ravenswood Road (at Mulberry Street), just four blocks away from the ferry slip.

West Virginia appeared to be very inconsistent about the use of directional banners until the 1970s...maddening, given the state's irregular topography and the non-intuitive cardinal directions of many roads!  At least the modern standard is very good:  Of all the things there are to criticize WV for, highway signage isn't one of them.

Agreed. One thing I've also noticed is that there was a narrow-style cardinal direction marker that was produced with the 1961-1980 shields, but it seemed to end with the change to Series D digits. Would you possibly have a timeframe for those?

[Dirt Roads]

Growing up in the 1960's, I remember very little of this style of signage.  Instead, most of the area around Charleston and Huntington had signage with the unique West Virginia block script numbers, but with a square or rectangular border (and IIRC just a hint of rounding in the corners).  It gave the feel of the original state route signage with "W.Va" at the top (there were only a few of those remaining).

I've been looking for years and haven't seen any online.  I'm sure I've got some photos in my collection somewheres.

[kphoger]

For future reference, my real name isn't Ginger. The profile name is meant to imply that I have orange-red hair, and sometimes that is referred to as being a ginger, for some reason.

If you cut into a fresh knob of ginger, it's kind of orange on the inside.

[Andrew T.]

I see. It seems that they weren't very popular, or couldn't be read at long distances. Did the SRC ever just produce this sign, or did the square ones exist in 1961 as well?

A square-border version of the 1948-spec white-edge signs definitely existed, although most of the photo evidence is from Summers County alone:


(Hinton, WVU Libraries, taken sometime between 1950-55)

This black square border sign is also from Summers County, and I have a hunch that it's from the early to mid 1960s, squarely in the "rectangle" era.  The proportions are off compared to later signs (too much "air" around the numbers), and the directional plaque has an odd wide font I haven't seen anywhere else:


(Hinton High School yearbook, 1970)

West Virginia appeared to be very inconsistent about the use of directional banners until the 1970s...maddening, given the state's irregular topography and the non-intuitive cardinal directions of many roads!  At least the modern standard is very good:  Of all the things there are to criticize WV for, highway signage isn't one of them.

Agreed. One thing I've also noticed is that there was a narrow-style cardinal direction marker that was produced with the 1961-1980 shields, but it seemed to end with the change to Series D digits. Would you possibly have a timeframe for those?

Ahh!  I've seen the "narrow" directional plaques in a fair number of older photos.  I assume these installations all date to 1968-71, approximately:


(Michael Summa, 1991)

Full-size plaques began to appear by 1972, as did wide 3-digit US shields (still with the 1961 side scalloping until mid-decade!).  This was also around the time the WV Department of Highways began adding a dated fabrication mark to signs, although route markers didn't always have the mark:


(Morgantown High School yearbook, 1972)

Series D numerals began to appear on 2-digit route markers by 1979, although I don't think they were common on the roads until the second half of the 1980s:


(Hambleton High School yearbook, 1979)

I hope this helps!

[The_Ginger]

For future reference, my real name isn't Ginger. The profile name is meant to imply that I have orange-red hair, and sometimes that is referred to as being a ginger, for some reason.

If you cut into a fresh knob of ginger, it's kind of orange on the inside.

I did not know this! Super cool!

The color in your photo seems to be a lighter shade than my hair, shown in the sample below.

The photo was taken indoors, and it appears lighter in sunlight.

[kphoger]

If you cut into a fresh knob of ginger, it's kind of orange on the inside.

I did not know this! Super cool!

The color in your photo seems to be a lighter shade than my hair

Also...

[Andrew T.]

Here's one more, for the record!  WV 3, WV 41, US 21 (all with bog-standard Series C), and the West Virginia Turnpike:


(Beckley Raleigh Register, 26 February 1965.)

Growing up in the 1960's, I remember very little of this style of signage.  Instead, most of the area around Charleston and Huntington had signage with the unique West Virginia block script numbers, but with a square or rectangular border (and IIRC just a hint of rounding in the corners).  It gave the feel of the original state route signage with "W.Va" at the top (there were only a few of those remaining).

I've been looking for years and haven't seen any online.  I'm sure I've got some photos in my collection somewheres.

Definitely let us know if you find anything.  When I did my digitized yearbook search, I found a dearth of signage photos from Huntington or Charleston.

[Dirt Roads]

Growing up in the 1960's, I remember very little of this style of signage.  Instead, most of the area around Charleston and Huntington had signage with the unique West Virginia block script numbers, but with a square or rectangular border (and IIRC just a hint of rounding in the corners).  It gave the feel of the original state route signage with "W.Va" at the top (there were only a few of those remaining).

I've been looking for years and haven't seen any online.  I'm sure I've got some photos in my collection somewheres.

Wikimedia (gasp) has the fontset that I remember in the early 1960s.

                 

It is unusual, but we didn't have many state routes in Kanawha/Putnam/Cabell back in those days:  US-60/WV-4, US-21, US-35, and US-119; WV-2, WV-14, WV-17, WV-25, and WV-34.  Further out in my recollection:  US-33, WV-16, US-19 and WV-5.  I'm pretty sure that I saw this font still posted for each of these routes.  During the construction of the first sections of I-77 and I-64, many of the associated route signs near the interchanges were updated with the newer signage using Highway Gothic.

[The_Ginger]

Wikimedia (gasp) has the fontset that I remember in the early 1960s.

           

You can thank @Fredddie for those. It's just the US Highway Oldstyle font with borders on it to slim it down.

Did they look like this, per chance?


Or this?

[Dirt Roads]

Did they look like this, per chance?

Indeed, and I actually remember one of these.

I should have included WV-47 and (then) WV-56 on my expanded list, since I had grandparents up in Vienna.

By the way, in Central West Virginia it is still proper to use the word "perchance".  My mother was an English teacher and let me use it both ways, depending upon who was the target audience.

[The_Ginger]

Did they look like this, per chance?

Indeed, and I actually remember one of these.

I should have included WV-47 and (then) WV-56 on my expanded list, since I had grandparents up in Vienna.

By the way, in Central West Virginia it is still proper to use the word "perchance".  My mother was an English teacher and let me use it both ways, depending upon who was the target audience.

Very interesting! I have never found evidence of a sign type like this before, and it would be very cool to find an image of these signs.

[hbelkins]

As an aside, a lot of recent WV state highway route marker installations appear to be asymmetrical, with the black border narrower on two sides than it is on the other. This is most common with newer three-digit signs.

[The_Ginger]

As an aside, a lot of recent WV state highway route marker installations appear to be asymmetrical, with the black border narrower on two sides than it is on the other. This is most common with newer three-digit signs.

I wasn't aware it existed with the square ones. I tried to E-Mail WVDOT about it, they never responded.

[Bitmapped]

As an aside, a lot of recent WV state highway route marker installations appear to be asymmetrical, with the black border narrower on two sides than it is on the other. This is most common with newer three-digit signs.

It's been an issue with some contractor-produced signage for well over a decade. WVDOH-produced signs still have the regular symmetrical border.

[The_Ginger]

As an aside, a lot of recent WV state highway route marker installations appear to be asymmetrical, with the black border narrower on two sides than it is on the other. This is most common with newer three-digit signs.

It's been an issue with some contract-produced signage for well over a decade. WVDOH-produced signs still have the regular symmetrical border.

Very interesting, but I can't seem to fathom how a contractor can mess up a sign like that. It's also been in issue with the square shields, as they have been appearing with Series C digits. I get how that could happen, as that style used to be standard. The off-kilter proportions, just don't make sense.

Despite these being contractor errors, I still think the signs look pretty sharp.

(both photos by Famartin over at Wikimedia Commons)

[Dirt Roads]

As an aside, a lot of recent WV state highway route marker installations appear to be asymmetrical, with the black border narrower on two sides than it is on the other. This is most common with newer three-digit signs.

It's been an issue with some contract-produced signage for well over a decade. WVDOH-produced signs still have the regular symmetrical border.

Very interesting, but I can't seem to fathom how a contractor can mess up a sign like that. It's also been in issue with the square shields, as they have been appearing with Series C digits. I get how that could happen, as that style used to be standard. The off-kilter proportions, just don't make sense.

Despite these being contractor errors, I still think the signs look pretty sharp.

(both photos by Famartin over at Wikimedia Commons)

It appears that most of these newer State Route shields have a metal square/rectangular border laminated to the signplate rather than the traditional painted.  It gives them a three-dimensional appearance.  The U.S. route shields still appear to have painted borders. I've been meaning to stop at one of them and get a close-up.

[Dirt Roads]

Did they look like this, per chance?

Indeed, and I actually remember one of these.

I should have included WV-47 and (then) WV-56 on my expanded list, since I had grandparents up in Vienna.

By the way, in Central West Virginia it is still proper to use the word "perchance".  My mother was an English teacher and let me use it both ways, depending upon who was the target audience.

Very interesting! I have never found evidence of a sign type like this before, and it would be very cool to find an image of these signs.

I'm beginning to remember where these specific signs were located, as so far, all of them were hanging on messenger wire across the roads.  And none of them had banners. 

The earliest memories got me confused for many years (I've posted both on M.T.R and here about it) where it appeared that U.S. 119 and WV-14 were signed across the Southside Bridge in Charleston on both sides of the bridge.  But WV-61 was also signed on both side (and since it was obvious that WV-61 was only on the South Side Expressway, I simply ignored it).  Turns out that back then, WV-14 was multiplexed with WV-61 beneath the Southside Bridge, but just east of the bridge turned off and went up the old Oakwood Road route up into the South Hills (that short section of Oakwood Road has been replaced with Corridor G).   But back then, US-119 was routed across the old 35th Street Bridge and headed southeast to Marmet. 

There were also aerial messenger-mounted signs for the US-60/US-21/US-35 split on West Washington Street, and for the WV-25/US-35 split at the far west end of Seventh Street.  (While I'm thinking of it, the then US-35 West Seventh Street was constructed as an old-style expressway back in the early 1940s and I don't think that it has ever made onto any of my lists).