We’re Expanding into the South Bay!
When the San Francisco Ghost Sign Mapping Project launched in 2011 it was just that — a map dedicated to old, hand-painted signage in San Francisco proper. In 2018 we expanded the scope of the project to include the East Bay, adding some wonderful old gems in Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, and Richmond to our map. As we’ve now finished the bulk of the East Bay work, it’s time to expand once again. That’s right, it’s time to include the South Bay’s hand-painted ghost signs. San Jose, here we come!
A wealth of sign scholarship and preservation work has taken place in the South Bay already. This is not an attempt to reinvent that wheel. So we will NOT be covering the neon signs and mid-century pieces that fall under the scope of projects such as The San Jose Sign Project. Our goal is to identify, document, research and map the hand-painted ads and business signs that remain in San Jose and the greater South Bay.
Do you know of a liquor store with an old hand-painted Coca Cola logo? An old brick warehouse with a former tenant’s name still on it? Those are the sign types we’re looking to collect for our mapping project. And we can’t do this work without you. As we learned with our East Bay work, there are scale issues at work in mapping the old signs of the South Bay.
It’s a large region with less robust public transportation than San Francisco, making identifying and documenting signs more difficult.
Much of the historical record, specifically historical photos, has yet to be digitized, making researching the signs and buildings more difficult.
Without dedicated participants in different cities and neighborhoods it’s harder to keep tabs on signs that have been destroyed or revealed, making updating and maintaining the map more difficult.
How to Get Involved with the South Bay Map
We’re open to all kinds of collaboration in the documentation, research, and maintenance phases of the mapping project. The South Bay is a big place! So any and all tips, photos, historical anecdotes, or resources are appreciated. So what are some ways to help out with them? We’re pretty active on a variety of social platforms!
Our Mailing List
Don’t check Facebook as often as you used to? Sign up for our mailing list to get all our ghost sign and event updates sent straight to your inbox.
On Facebook
Follow the San Francisco Ghost Sign Mapping Page to stay up to date on ghost sign info and to get invites to our Community Mapping Days. Feel free to tag us in pics!
On Flickr
If you see a ghost sign in the South Bay snag a pic and add it to the South Bay Ghost Sign Mapping Flickr Group. We will add your sign to the map, giving you credit, of course.
On Instagram
Follow us on Instagram at @sfghostsigns. If you see a ghost sign in the South Bay snag a pic, tag us in it, and include the hashtag #southbayghostsign. We will add your sign to the map, giving you credit, of course.
On Patreon
Do you follow us on Patreon? If not, click here to support us on Patreon.
On Threads
We just joined Threads! It’s nice, if you miss the old days of Twitter it’s not too bad.
Or, shoot us an email using the form below!
Sometimes for in depth conversations and collaborations, email is the only way to go.