Tavern and Inn Signs

The Connecticut Historical Society holds the nation's largest collection of 18th and 19th century tavern signs. Long before the bright oversize signs that we see on the highways today, painted tavern signs were the predominent form of roadside advertising.

Towns were required by colonial legislation to have an inn or tavern to provide essential services, and these signs marked those establishments for travelers. Today, although we travel faster and farther than ever before, our needs have hardly changed: food, refreshment, fuel, and a place to spend the night.