The Ghost Signs of Mooresville
By Brett C. Sturm, Restoration Specialist, State Historic Preservation Office
The Town of Mooresville in Iredell County recently completed a restoration project worthy of attention from Main Street advocates and history enthusiasts around the state. The town contracted with a mural conservation company from Asheville to carefully preserve six weathered advertisements, often called “ghost signs,” painted on the sides of several early 20th-century brick commercial buildings in its downtown.
From a preservationist’s standpoint, this project shines for the level of thought and sensitivity invested in deciding how the ghost signs could best be conserved.
Instead of simply repainting them to make them look new again, the conservators stabilized the existing paint layers then artfully overpainted them, blending in new colors to render the faded signs more legible. In the case of the Kelly’s Clothing sign, the town went as far as to consult old local newspaper ads to ensure the restored logo was an accurate match to the original.
After 155 hours of labor, the result is both nuanced and beautiful — signs that show their age, telling the story of Mooresville’s historic downtown. And to restoration-minded folks like us here at the State Historic Preservation Office, perhaps the best part is that the signs are protected for the future, sealed with a UV-inhibiting varnish so that they can continue to communicate with Mooresville locals and visitors for decades to come.
The North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office assists private citizens, private institutions, local governments, and agencies of state and federal government in the identification, evaluation, protection, and enhancement of properties significant in North Carolina history and archaeology. The agency carries out state and federal preservation programs and is a section within the Division of Historical Resources, Office of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR).
