Directional

The American Automobile Association (AAA) formed in 1902, printing maps, placing road signs, and planning trips into the countryside. The Trail Association, a group of motor travel enthusiasts, unofficially named roads and placed signs. There were no standards, though, for signage.

During the 1920s, boosterism swept American. In this new era of automobile travel, towns and cities began placing signs and billboards along roadways to attract people. Signs were posted a junctions that directed people to the nearest towns. Prior to 1926, at which time road signs were becoming standardized, many of these directional signs were makeshift wooden arrows with black lettering, seen below.

Early Directional Signs: Image courtesy of the University of Vermont Landscape Change Program and the Vermont State Archives

Once signs were standardized in the late 1920s, they slowly began to replace these old arrows. These simple rectangular signs featured a white background with black lettering and border.

Standardized Directional Sign: Image courtesy of Dan McNichol, The Roads that Built America, 2003.