The History of Cincinnati’s American Sign Museum

When it came to finding a career path, you might say Tod Swormstedt was given a sign. As a fourth-generation member of the family that publishes Signs of the Times, a magazine known as the ‘bible for the sign industry,’ he knows much more about signs than your average guy.

He relishes and respects the history of American signage so much that, after years of working as the magazine's editor, he wanted to play a key role in preserving that legacy. Enter, the American Sign Museum.

The birth of the American Sign Museum

That desire to make a lasting shrine to the America road sign gave birth to a wild idea: he would create a museum to pay tribute to the craftsmanship and creativity of early American signage.

"In 1999, I left the magazine to start working on this. I didn't have any signs. I was just a crazy guy with a crazy idea. I didn't have a physical space, but I would write columns about it in Signs of the Times to create awareness."

Swormstedt says he "leveraged the heck out of" his industry connections and began collecting donations.

"Most of the signs I started with were contributions from sign companies," he says, "but it wasn't just signs. It was also things like old catalogs, photos, artwork — anything related to sign-making and design."

The American Sign Museum Lights Up Connecticut

After traveling hundreds of miles in his truck to pick up signs from businesses that no longer wanted them, Swormstedt’s dream soon became a reality. In 2005, he opened the 4,500-square-foot American Sign Museum inside an arts center in Cincinnati.

But, within just a few years of opening, the collection outgrew the space. So, in 2012, the museum moved into a warehouse in the city's historic Camp Washington area. What started out slowly and humbly quickly blossomed into a popular tourist attraction that even Swormstedt himself did not envision. By the end of 2017, over 23,000 people had visited the museum, and visitor numbers continue to grow every year.    

A Century of American History 

Today, the modern American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, sprawls across 20,000 square feet and contains signs from more than a century of American history.

From hand-painted wooden signs to neon lights made popular in the 1970s, the museum promises a trip down memory lane that is both educational and entertaining for all ages. It's also a popular field trip site for students, with customized tours focusing on subjects such as history, language, arts and design.

"I think for a lot of kids, they don't even realize how much they're learning because they're so fascinated," Swormstedt says.

Visiting the American Sign Museum

You can visit the American Sign Museum in person, or take a virtual tour online. Group visits are also welcome but may be subject to availability.

The museum has around 4,000 items cataloged, but only around 500 signs are on display at any given time.

"We have signs from all across the country," Swormstedt says. "We don't have a sign from every state, but I know we have signs from at least half of them, and we have people who come visit us from all over the United States and Canada."

From the moment you pull into the parking lot, standing watch over the entrance is a 20-foot-tall fiberglass genie that once represented a Los Angeles carpet cleaning company. Inside, you’ll be greeted by a rare 1963 McDonald's arch featuring an image of Speedee, the fast-food chain's original mascot before Ronald McDonald.

Other prime attractions include a super-size statue of Frisch's Big Boy mascot and a neon rotating windmill from a Denver donut shop.

But perhaps one of the museum's most popular spots is Signsville, a faux streetscape that depicts a toned-down version of the Las Vegas strip. This bright and colorful street displays neon signs from motels, bowling alleys, drugstores, and much more.

In a nod to the museum's hometown, two walls in the museum also feature the "Signs of Cincinnati."

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