Ballard's Obelisk Flour Sign

I've been downtown again looking for interesting things to photograph and came across these old windows that were pretty interesting.

As I was shooting these, the owner of the building as well as the Old Cigar Warehouse down the street (with the Coca Cola sign) asked if I wanted to see the inside of this building. Of course I was eager to see. Inside they have uncovered some history. It is a sign probably from the 1930's that continues up the entire side of the building beyond what I could see here.

I didn't have the best lighting or equipment to shoot this but it's an interesting story. My sister did some research and found that Ballard's Obelisk Flour refers to an old flour brand originally milled in Louisville, Ky. by Ballard and Ballard Co. Ballard and Ballard "invented" easy bake instant oven biscuit mix - at one time they were the largest grain millery on earth. Easy access to water transportation made this business explode throughtout the South in the post Civil War /Reconstruction years.
The refrigerated dough revolution took off in 1951 when the Pillsbury Co. purchased the Ballard and Ballard Co., which was offering refrigerated oven-ready biscuits in a can that required no rolling, kneading or mess to clean up.

I'm linking this post to Sweet Shot Tuesday at Living with My 3 Boybarians.