Signs of the times
The founders hope their museum will draw visitors seeking to explore a unique component of Acton’s past.
When Billy Crosby discovered a rotted wood sign in the rafters of his house, he didn’t know it would someday elicit strong reactions — and even some tears.
It was from the Mary Curtis Shop on Main Street, which sold clothing and gifts in the 1970s.
Crosby, a signmaker for 46 years, collects vintage advertising. He restored the sign and gave it a home in a unique museum he co-founded in 2021 with another antique sign aficionado, John Boynton, at the Bradford Mill in West Acton.
Ever since, that sign and many of the 75 other iconic items in the Acton Sign Museum — some were owned by Crosby and by Boynton, others were donated or are on loan — provide a nostalgic trip through Acton’s commercial history.
Tears and memories
Of the Mary Curtis sign, Crosby says, “Some of the ladies who visit get very emotional. They remember shopping with their moms and getting something special, maybe their first dress.”
Boynton, an entrepreneur and investor, and his wife, Johanna, were among the buyers of the 118-year-old mill, originally a chair factory. They finished restoring it in 2012 and refreshed it last year. Abutting the commuter railroad tracks in West Acton, the mill comprises three buildings that house office, coworking, and studio space.
One day, Boynton decided to display his collection in one of the buildings, and Crosby agreed to add his signs. The oldest date back to the 1930s — or perhaps even further.
Visitors can take self-guided tours winding through hallways, up staircases, and onto a rooftop deck, where the Chang An restaurant sign shares space with vintage advertising for The Toy Shop, Acton Optical (G. Bourque Optician), Walden Grille, and the Acton police station.
HOGS on a T-shirt
Some businesses are long gone, including The Country Store, the West Acton Super Market, and Macone’s Sporting Goods in Acton Center. The House of Good Spirits package store on Walden Street inspired a T-shirt bearing the acronym HOGS, which became popular with high schoolers, Crosby says with a smile.
Other places like the Acton Museum, Acton-Carlisle High School, the Acton Art Association, and The Colonial Inn continue to thrive.
Boynton says the signs show business owners “deliberated for hours, days, and weeks to get their image right.” Many of the signs are works of art featuring hand-carving and freehand painting.
The founders hope their museum will draw visitors seeking to explore a unique component of Acton’s past.
“It’s a great slice of history,” Boynton says.
The museum is in the Bradford Mill at 43 Bradford Street and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The entrance is in the back, between the smokestack and the train tracks.
