Roseville Sign Museum

09/07/2026

One of our main displays at the museum pays tribute to the many gas stations we've had in Roseville over the years. Although our big Skelly sign out front did not come from Roseville directly, it did come from within the county.

This pump didn't necessarily come from town either, but it had been sitting around in the garage collecting dust for well over 20 years, waiting for the opportunity to restore it! We felt it only fitting to brand it this way and make it a centerpiece in the museum.

Lots of work to bring this back to life, but it sure was fun to see it come together!

We've heard there were 10 or 11 stations in town at one time!

Anybody care to share where they were, and any memories of them?.... Maybe going to get a bottle of coke at your favorite one and dropping some peanuts in it?

08/29/2026

THIS WEEK'S SIGN HIGHLIGHT IS:
Dale Watson Seed Co.

This week we had somebody donate a Dale Watson calendar from 1957/58! (Thank you to whomever that was, and thank you to everybody else that has donated items recently) We've been getting things given to us almost weekly! We may have to relocate to a bigger facility with all the stuff we've been gathering! 😆

The sign we have was saved by the Corbin family and given to us for display. The sign was removed and saved before the grain mill was torn down at the Farmer's Grain elevator. We brought it in and cleaned it up, and put a clear coat over it to preserve it. Thank you for saving it! .....Hard to believe Roseville had a sporting goods store at one time!

Got any local signage or advertising you'd be willing to part with? We'd be glad to talk to you about it.

08/16/2026

Making of the Sign Museum:

A few pictures of the progress and where we started at in mid May. Couldn't start anything with that big chunk of concrete in the way! Made short of that and away we went!

Years of water leaking into the back room rotted some of the wall out. Always something with these old buildings!

08/14/2026

We had the opportunity to sit down and talk a little about the Roseville Sign Museum, how it got started, and why preserving these pieces of Roseville’s history means so much to us.
If you’d like to hear a little more of our story, give it a listen!

And a big thank you to Jane Carlson from Tri-States Public Radio for thinking enough of our project to reach out and help us share what we’re working on here in Roseville.

Brian Johnson finds a lot of Roseville’s history on the job.

The third-generation plumber is in and out of basements and back rooms, and he has an eye for the spots where local relics tend to settle.

Johnson has now turned his collection into a full-fledged roadside attraction of 20th century commercial Americana called the Roseville Sign Museum.

Read the story: https://www.tspr.org/tspr-local-news/2026-08-12/how-a-collection-of-rescued-relics-became-the-roseville-sign-museum

08/09/2026

The Signs We Used to See Every Day

Sometimes a sign is more than just a sign.

It hung over a place where people ate lunch, bought their groceries, picked up a part, went bowling, or stopped to visit with someone they knew.

At the time, nobody thought much about these signs. They were simply part of Roseville.

But businesses close. Buildings change. Signs come down. And before you know it, something that was once part of everyday life is gone.

That’s one of the reasons we started the Roseville Sign Museum was to keep these memories alive and share them with the community.

We’re not just saving old signs.

We’re saving the stories of the people and places that made Roseville home.

This month we have a bunch of old advertising trinkets on display from coin pouches, to pocket mirrors, to pens and toothpick holders, and all things in between. Be sure to stop by and peek in the window.

What old Roseville business do you remember most?

08/02/2026

While this post is not necessarily sign museum related, it is definitely sign and Roadside America related!

As the summer is slowly winding down, and maybe you didn't have a chance to get away yet? Here's a little suggestion for a quick weekend get away where you can see some of the things that often get overlooked due to the fast pace of life and the often forgotten about 2 lane roads.

Last fall we took a little weekend trip on Hwy 116 and headed to Pontiac to catch up with the Main Street of America, Route 66! Along our path to Pontiac were Farmington, Peoria, and Virden just to name a few. We stopped to see as many "roadside attractions" as we could, and some of them I had no idea even existed!

After some time in Pontiac checking out their murals and attractions, we headed south on Rt 66 to see some more of the sites on the mother road on the way to Springfield. We did several things while in Springfield, including a tour of Ace Sign Company and their very cool museum! Check them out sometime, or at least their work at the State Fairgrounds and the Route 66 display they built! Some of our inspiration is coming from there....What a great family history Ace Sign has!

With Route 66 turning 100 this year, it got me thinking about Rt 116 ("Pennsylvania Ave") and it coming through Roseville, and its history. It was quite a busy road in its day. From a main military route between Burlington and Central Illinois, to livestock heading to the Peoria stockyards.

Route 116 starts at Gladstone and runs right through Roseville and stretches 176 miles end to end all the way to Ashkum Illinois, passing right over the famous Route 66! We may not be on Route 66, but it's pretty cool that 116 leads to it.....imo anyway.

If you get a chance to "get your kicks" on Illinois 1-1-6, we hope you include our little spot in your travels! We just might be the only spot on 116 that has a big boy! 😂

a few pics of some things we found on our way, whether roadside or just local staples. Small towns offer more than you might think

07/27/2026

The First Sign We Saved:

Every collection has a beginning.

For us, it began with Paul's Appliance.

My grandparents, Paul and Helen Perrine, started Paul's Appliance in 1951. For decades, (until 1992 when Grandma retired) they served families throughout Roseville and the surrounding communities, building a reputation based on hard work, honesty, and taking care of their customers. Doing this research for the museum made me realize that this year marks 75 years of our family serving the community!.... Stay tuned for a celebration of that milestone

As the years passed and the business changed, and eventually closed, one thing remained—the sign.

When it came time to decide what would become of it, there was never really a question, it got stored away with all the other stuff, because that's what we Johnson's do! This wasn't just an old piece of advertising. It represented a lifetime of work, countless friendships, and a family legacy that deserved to be remembered.

Saving that sign and seeing all the other ones we've saved, planted a seed. They need to be seen and remembered again!

Behind each one are people who took a chance, built a business, supported their families, and became part of the fabric that built our town.

These signs being displayed quickly grew into a dream—a place where Roseville's history could live on for future generations.

Today, that dream has become the Roseville Sign Museum.

Paul's Appliance will always hold a special place in our collection, not just because it was the first sign we saved, but because it reminds us why preserving our local history matters.

Do you remember Paul's Appliance? We'd love to hear any of your memories in the comments.

07/24/2026

A sign museum without a sign just didn't seem right!