RICHLAND County, Ohio – Two iconic Mail Pouch Tobacco Barns remain standing in this Ohio county – one near Mansfield, and the other in Butler. The Mansfield barn is known as “The Mary Lou Barn” since Richard “Dick” Taylor had it commissioned as a 32nd wedding anniversary gift to his wife Mary Lou in 1986. The fading sign that Harley Warrick initially painted was restored to its original beauty in 2021. The Butler barn stands near the family-owned Whiffletree Restaurant. Sightseers like to have their photos taken in front of the wooden structure with their family and vintage vehicles. Warrick also painted this sign, though the year is unknown.

The Bloch Brothers Tobacco Co., Wheeling, W. Va., began their Mail Pouch Tobacco barn advertising campaign in 1891 – it was the most popular chewing tobacco brand at the time.  Originally, there was a six-man crew that would travel the country to paint barns (they were referred to as barnstormers). Barn owners were paid $1-$10 a year for the right to paint advertisements on their barns. The barns would be repainted every five to seven years.

There were around 20,000 barns emblazoned with the famous logo “back in the day” across over 20 states, focusing in the Northeast and Midwest, with Ohio having the largest concentration. The 1960s were the peak of the campaign. There are fewer than 2,000 barns still standing.

Harley Warrick, of Belmont, Ohio, was the last man to freehand paint the signs on these barns.  The words “Chew” and “Treat Yourself To The Best” were almost always in white, and “Mail Pouch Tobacco” in yellow. Warrick’s career spanned 1946-1992. His work has been featured by the Smithsonian Institution as an important part of American art history.

The Mail Pouch Barnstormers is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of the symbolic “Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco” painted advertisements on barns across the American countryside. They work to document and restore these historical signs. Visit https://mailpouchbarnstormers.org for more information and road trip ideas.