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July 1941. "Road on the outskirts of Brattleboro, Vermont." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
A closer look at the billboard reveals the previous advertisement was also for Texaco. (Sky Chief gas.)
Vermont prohibited billboards in 1968, leaving the task of directing travelers to Texaco stations to state-owned informational directory signs.
This puts me in mind of my cross country road trip a few years back that took me through Texas. There was much that impressed me about the Lone Star State, but one of the things I really appreciated were its modern and absolutely immaculate highway rest areas. Anyways, it was late in the day and I had stopped an hour or so earlier for lunch when I felt the need to offload some ballast, as we used to say in the Navy. So I stopped at the next rest area and was just about to step into the gents WC when I saw the sign posted directly by the door -- "Watch out for rattlesnakes," with a nice image of one of the little buggers for added effect.
I quickly reconsidered and decided that my immediate needs would be handled from the standing position and any other requirements could wait until I checked into my hotel room for the night.
In 1968 Vermont banned billboards. The states of Hawaii (1927), Alaska (1959) & Maine (1977) also banned them.
https://twistedsifter.com/2014/10/why-vermont-banned-billboards/
Looks like a '39 or '40 Tudor. Can't see the taillights well enough to differentiate. Bet he was hoping there wasn't a cop sitting behind the billboard!
At least I think it's a Chev. Wish the shutter speed were a bit faster.
First I find out I'm not getting enough fiber in my diet, and now I learn that, with the absence of Texaco in my home state, I've been using unregistered restrooms. My congressman shall hear about this.
The fire hydrant system is all ready to go. Hope someone can find a newer picture at this location; that bend should make it fairly easy.
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