All Signs Point To This New Oregon Museum That Will Light Up Your Life
By Catherine Armstrong|Published February 23, 2019
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
We tend to be nostalgic about the past, even when that time period was long before we were born. Do you remember a time when neon signs graced every restaurant, auto shop, and shoe repair store on the block? Kids growing up today only get an occasional glimpse of neon signs – most signage nowadays is LED. There’s a new museum in Oregon that will take you right back to a more simple time. Take a look at the National Neon Sign Museum:
On 200 E. 3rd Street in The Dalles, you'll find a beautiful red brick building known as the Elks Building. Constructed in 1910, it was once home to the Cascade Lodge No. 303, and it's one of the most historic buildings in town. In 2015, the city gifted this gorgeous space to the nonprofit National Neon Sign Museum.
The address of the museum is 200 E. 3rd St., The Dalles, OR 97058.
The museum opened its doors in 2018, and is still growing. You can wander down little "streets" to see the signs as they would have once been displayed.
Between the 1920s and 1960s, neon signage was all the rage if you wanted to bring attention to your storefront. The signage at the famous Times Square in New York City started a nationwide trend that made neon popular.
Neon signs are full of creativity and personality. At the Sign Museum, you'll find all kinds of examples of fun signage that once graced the exteriors of businesses all over the country.
