In this video, we will give you a quick tour of some of the beautiful and historic, fading wall signs and ads we found in Richmond, Virginia — presented without narration.
Some of the signs we found include:
- F.H Boehling Feed and Seed
- Baldwin and Brown Hardware
- Pawn Shop
- C.D. Kenny Co. Teas and Coffees
- Pillsbury’s Best
- P. Weinstein Clothing
- Bedding and Supplies?
- Uneeda Biscuit on Church Hill
- Morris Romm Plumbing
- B.T. Crump Company
- Edward L. Frost and Co, Commission Merchants
- Old Dominion Press Inc.
- Coca-Cola Wall Ad
- Jefferson Saloon, Joseph Carnicelli, Proprietor
- Coca Cola Electric Sign
- Phillip Levy Home Furnishers
- Masonic Temple
The Story Behind One of the Ghost Signs: F.H. Boehling Feed and Seed Company (BOCO)
The video opens with beautifully preserved signs for the F.H. Boehling Feed and Seed Company.
I couldn’t locate exact start or end dates for this store, but I did learn a few interesting tidbits about the people who ran the business. BOCO, seen in the diamond shape on the building was their own brand of feed supplies.
The F.H. Boehling Feed and Seed Company was operated by a man named Frank Boehling (1888-1969) and his sons, Frank, Jr. (1925-2006) and James (1888-2006).
At age 67, Frank H. Boehling, Sr. was made blind in one eye while watching a baseball game, after a foul ball smashed into his eyeglasses, getting broken glass into his eye. Home team catcher Ebba St. Claire was the batter who lobbed the stray ball. The news article from page 20 of the Richmond New Leader, August 5, 1955 is reproduced below.
James Boehling, who just recently passed away in 2026 at age 100, graduated from Benedictine High School in Richmond at 18 entered the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II as navigator on a B-17 Flying Fortress airplane. On his very first mission over Germany, his plane stalled in bad weather and he escaped the crash by parachute at 25,000 feet.
After the war, James attended the University of Richmond where earned an accounting degree and went to work at his father’s store. He never married.
James wrote a memoir of his time in the war. You can buy a copy on Amazon here.
NOTE: This blog post contains Amazon affiliate links. I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.
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