Astoria’s new sign museum, located in the upper level of the Astoria Armory, walks visitors through the history of the town’s 20th century with colorful details, handmade lettering and references to businesses past.

It all started over a dozen years ago with an 18-foot light-up sign spotted in a Seaside salvage yard. Mitch Mitchum, a former Astoria Public Works director, and John Goodenberger, a local historian, rescued the old Astoria Theater emblem from obscurity and brought it back to Astoria as a piece of history.

For years, Mitchum stored the sign in one of his commercial buildings, approaching various civic groups about restoring the sign. Nobody wanted to take on the challenge of a 1923 marquee except Jeff Daly, who took the sign under his wing and retro-restored it. It now shines brightly with over 200 bulbs in memory of Mitchum, who died shortly before the work was completed.

Daly added it to his sign collection, which he had been curating since he was 15. He hadn’t initially intended to start a museum, but instead was determined to begin saving old signs and preserve them for generations to come. As they began to pile up, an idea sparked.

“We watch our history today just become sort of non-history,” said Daly. “Nobody knows what it’s about anymore. Well, these are visual references to history.”

Many of Daly’s signs come from the historic underground tunnels, where he conducts the Astoria Underground Tour. Others, he bought. Still others were salvaged from scrap yards and dumpsters. Today, he has nearly 100 of them.

Daly collaborated with the Lower Columbia Preservation Society to bring the signs to the Armory and promoted a grand opening Wednesday, May 21. Susan Hobson, president of the Armory’s board, welcomed the exhibit.

“All these signs are from our community, and they tell a story, and they’re just amazing,” Hobson said. “It’s like a moment in time, and you think about all the businesses and all the people. It’s amazingly cool.”

Daly watched as visitors filed into the armory’s upper level for the museum’s opening, many commenting on signs they’d recognized as old shops and restaurants they’d frequented back in the day.

“Every person who comes through here will have a different story,” Daly said. “They can tell you about a different sign, they say ‘I know who did this!’ … So that’s what’s going to be interesting about tonight, is to hear lots of people coming around and being able to rehash and relive.”

The signs tell a story not only of old businesses and events, but of the people who helped make downtown Astoria into what it is today. Many of the business signs were painted by local artist Arvid Wuonola and displayed on the walls of The Labor Temple.

“If you were going to be a union shop, or have any union work done in Astoria, you better have a placard hanging at The Labor Temple,” Daly said. “There were over 100 of those hanging up there.”

Wuonola painted 75% of the business signs in Astoria. He worked six days a week, eight hours a day for 57 years, until he retired at age 74 due to Parkinson’s disease. Today, his work remains splayed on the side of the Hotel Elliot, advertising wonderful beds.

In addition to providing Daly’s by-appointment-only guided museum tours, Hobson hopes to turn the newly renovated upstairs level into a place that adults can rent out for events.

“I think history is the Armory’s strong suit,” she said. “We have so much history here … people have such passion for their years growing up and being able to skate and have events and have games and things here at the Armory. So it kind of fits hand in hand.”