‘See Rock City’ barn repainted

Crossville, TN (WDEF) – Sign painters recently refreshed the paint on the ‘See Rock City’ sign on top of a barn on Highway 68 in Crossville, Tennessee.

It was part of a Rock City initiative to repaint several barns with their signs yearly to continue this historic legacy.

It took the painters 3 days to complete the project.

“We are in a preservation mode of trying to keep as many barns as possible for nostalgic purposes as southern icons, as well as for advertising,” said Roy Davis, manager of SRC’s R&R Hospitality. “Unfortunately, we can only maintain the paint on the barn and not the structure itself. If the barn becomes in total disarray or is taken out by a storm, then we lose it and cannot replace it due to highway laws.” The “Ladybird Act,” as the billboard-banning legislation was nicknamed, meant that many of Rock City’s rooftop messages had to be removed beginning in the 1960’s.

Officials say there are only 79 ‘See Rock City’ barns left from the original 900.

The current barn owner Elsie Buhaly contacted Rock City about the paint diminishing.

She says many tourists still stop to get a picture of it.

“This particular barn is considered a landmark barn, featured in media like Southern Living Magazine and many other publications,” said Davis. “Years from now we want grandkids pointing to See Rock City barns and getting their grandparents to tell them stories of when they saw these barns. This painting is another step in keeping the memories alive.”