See Rock City

by Eileen Brymer

Title

See Rock City

Artist

Eileen Brymer

Medium

Photograph - Photographs

Description

I would see these barns with "See Rock City" around the south. I'm from the north so I never understood what it meant. This barn is off Rt 101N, before Pleasant Grove Road near my home. Here is the story which I copied from the web. It's a great story! I took this photo on October 28, 2017, Temple, GA (USA).

http://www.seerockcity.com/about/barn-history/

Since 1935, Rock City barns have stood as genuine highway Americana, their bold white-on-black signs compelling both snowbirds and Sunday drivers to a spot near Chattanooga, Tennessee, where they could “See Rock City.”

Depression-weary Americans were just rekindling their love affair with the automobile when a marketing brainstorm by Rock City founder Garnet Carter turned some country barns into billboards that spread the word about the attraction’s charms.

PAINTING THE BARNS

Clark Byers painted the barns for three decades and became a legend in his own right by braving bulls, slippery roofs and lightning bolts. When he retired in 1969, he had painted some 900 barns in 19 states.

The usual arrangement was that the property owner received free passes to Rock City and an armload of promotional wares (like Rock City thermometers) along with the free painting for the use of his barn as an advertising aid. Those who didn’t need thermometers might be paid a modest sum of $3.

DECLINE IN THE 1960s

The highway beautification movement of Lyndon Johnson’s presidency saw roadside signs as more of an eyesore than an icon, and a piece of billboard-banning legislation nicknamed the “Ladybird Act” meant that many of Rock City’s rooftop messages had to be removed.

Some of Byers’ most clever catch phrases were buried under new, plain coats of paint and after nearly being electrocuted during a thunderstorm while on a repainting job, he retired.

STILL ICONS TODAY

Byers’ successors still paint barns today, with most found in communities with colorful names like Stamps, Arkansas or Sunflower, Alabama. Tennessee, where the structures have been named historic landmarks, is still home to the most.

Today, spotting one of these ever-recognizable structures not only gives tourists a look at a historic landmark, but also takes them on a nostalgic jaunt back to a time when motorists drove blacktop lanes in search of family fun.

(Camera Settings: Nikon D3100 - F-stop-f/5.6; exposure time-1/125 sec; ISO-180; focal length-55mm; max aperture-5; flash.)

All images are copyright © Eileen Brymer. The materials contained may not be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or downloaded in any way, shape or form. All rights are reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the Artist is strictly prohibited.

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October 28th, 2017

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