Remember ghost signs? Think: old painted signs that give windows into history. We last visited the River Market , but back by popular demand (read: a poll you took five months ago), we’re returning to the West Bottoms.
Union Street
One of the oldest streets in the city is also one of the most ghostly — faded signs clinging to the sides of nearly every building, some ~150 years old. To understand the signs, let’s drive by the area’s history + decline.
The Union Depot — aka the old Union Station — opened in 1878 , bringing lots of traffic and commerce to the area. With the stockyards in full “moo,” this area brought in 90% of KC’s revenue. Naturally, storage facilities had to accommodate all the incoming goods, so warehouses cropped up around this high-volume railyard.
After a flood in 1903 swamped the area, leaders wanted to build a new train station (Union Station) away from the floodplain. Union Depot was therefore razed in 1915. Most of the booming business evacuated, leaving behind warehousing + livestock businesses.
The trains + warehouses are still there. However, the buildings have changed hands over time. A lawsuit from 1960 states Liberty Storage Co. (seen in the photo) was looking to get out of the business. An article from 2001 reports Laramie Tires — clearly a much more recent ghost sign — left the West Bottoms for North Kansas City.
While the exact pasts of these structures remain as muddled as their signs, the future may gain clarity — the Ship’s success and a development firm’s new office allude to a revitalization.
Charles P. Shipley Saddlery and Mercantile Company
Charles Pervine Shipley was born in Ohio and moved to KC when he was 20 , where he borrowed $300 and started a leather goods manufacturing company that bore his name. He expanded and moved into a new three-story building in 1910, roughly catty corner from the Livestock Exchange Building + directly across from what is now The Yards Apartments — at 1660 Genessee St.
After a couple of not-so-good business moves, Charles died and passed the business onto his son. It ultimately closed in 1971 . The building’s bottom floor windows currently display leasing signs.
Ghost sign puzzle
Calling all historians with 20/20 vision. Can you make out what this sign says? Layers of faded paint have obscured what may be many names. We can see “Miller & Co.” but it appears incomplete — how about you? Let us know
, and we might do a story on this spot next.