G.A.R. Highway Sign – 1945 Design Drawing

To wrap up my series that I began last week on those ubiquitous Grand Army of the Republic Highway signs now found all around Lorain, Sheffield Lake and Vermilion, I thought I would post this. It’s a reproduction of what seems to be the original hand-lettered plans for the manufacturing of the highway signs.

I found it hanging on the wall of the Ohio Veterans Homes Museum, which is located on U.S. 250 in Sandusky. It’s a great way to spend an hour on a Sunday afternoon if you enjoy looking at memorabilia from all the wars starting with the Civil War right up to now. Best of all, it’s free (although donations are accepted).

The G.A.R. Highway sign drawing is dated January 10, 1945, with several prominent names listed at the bottom. At the lower left is the word “Approved,” and under it are H.E. Moran, Commander-in-Chief, S.U.V. (Sons of Union Veterans) and Captain J.C. Mansfield, Chairman, G.A.R. Highway.

On the lower right side of the sign is the name of John G. Spielman, Chief Engineer, G.A.R. Highway, 207 Roswell Ave., Long Beach.

The signs produced for Lorain (below) follows this layout very closely, right down to the “U.S. 6” found below the word “Highway.”