Warren County Farmers’ Fair

number of people watched the sign go into action for the first time. I again quote the Easton Sentinel:

“First are seen two green arrows that shoot out from a center and they form a long straight line pointing out the breadth of the city; then the red sun looms up behind the green horizon line; then the sun rays shoot up and flash tongues of flame, red in the sun itself and shading off to a pale pink. Suddenly over the blazing sun and in the midst of its rays the word ‘EASTON’ breaks out in letters of white light ten feet high, and as the sun rays fade and die away ‘CITY OF RESOURCES’ flashes out below in a line of five foot white letters. A moment later it all fades out and the display repeats itself every minute from dusk until midnight.”

The Valentine Electric Sign Company of Atlantic City, New Jersey was the company that came up with the original design for this sign. Owned by Mr. Thomas E. Valentine, his company combined the artistic skill and mechanical ingenuity to create these outdoor billboards of animated lights. Just think of the technology and equipment needed in 1908 to make an animated sign like this function without the aid of a computer. The Easton slogan sign was one of the first of its type ever to be produced.

Mr. Earl E. Whitehorne, editor of Selling Electricity, an electrical trade publication published in New York City, came to Easton that rainy Wednesday evening just to see the lighting of the sign. Selling Electricity was the major trade journal for the electric light and power industry in the United States and Canada. Mr. Whitehorne was particularly interested in this sign since it was the first time an electric company and a board of trade joined forces to develop an advertising strategy to promote an entire city rather than just a product or business. Mr. Whitehorne stated to a reporter that evening that utility companies across the country would be very interested in the story of the Easton slogan sign.

Now, why would a company like the Easton Gas and Electric Company commit such a large amount of capital to a public relations campaign

EASTON IN LETTERS OF FIRE

for the community? Well, if the city didn’t prosper and grow, neither would their business; so the time and money invested in this project was a gamble for future business. It’s capitalism working at its best. When the city as a whole prospers, everyone prospers. It takes individuals or companies with visions for what could be to invest in their visions. Then by nurturing their ideas and bringing them to their full potential, they will eventually prosper from it, and so will everyone else via the ripple effect it will have on all other individuals and businesses in the community. This collaborative effort between the Easton Gas and Electric Company and the Easton Board of Trade was a well thought out idea executed flawlessly with virtually no city government involvement.

In April of 1910, Easton Board of Trade president, Major Fred R. Drake, announced that in addition to the slogan “Easton, City of Resources”, the board of trade would also adopt another slogan, “100 Minutes From Broadway” when pointing out the many advantages the Easton community affords people seeking sites for new businesses.

“Easton, City of Resources” and “100 Minutes from Broadway” were slogans that certainly worked in promoting Easton, and the slogans were used to promote the city for the next 25 years, or so, with great success. Some say that this period, from about 1908-1933, in the history of Easton was its greatest in terms of its population, economic, industrial and retail expansion. Many cities during this same time period had slogans that they hoped would attract businesses and people to their particular town. Here are a few examples of good, mediocre, and just plain unimaginative slogans circa 1912: Chicago – “I Will” Allentown – “Dwell Here and Prosper” Bethlehem – “Busy Bethlehem Beckons Business” Erie – “Erie First, Last and All The Time” Williamsport – “Solid As A Rock. Growing All The Time” Harrisburg – “Industry, Contentment and Beauty” St. Louis – “To The Front” Baltimore – “I Lead” Duluth – “The Zenith City of the Unsalted Sea” Des Moines – “Des Moines Does Things” Chattanooga – “The City That Pays Dividends” Omaha – “Omaha The Market Town” Atlanta – “The Gate City” Boston – “Bigger, Busier, Better, Boston” Indianapolis – “No Mean City” Detroit – “In Detroit Life Is Worth Living” Lansing – “Larger, Livelier, Lovelier Lansing” Kalamazoo – “In Kalamazoo We Do” Fargo – “The City Of Homes” Tacoma – “You Will Like Tacoma” Rutland – “The Marble City” Cleveland – “Onward Cleveland Onward” Toledo – “You Will Do Better In Toledo”

From Electrical Review and Western Electrician Vol 55—No. 6 - August 7, 1909 “The result of the enterprise of the Easton Gas and Electric Company is noteworthy. The sign is a success. A new life has been aroused in the city. The city slogan is used freely in many ways and was received with unexpected enthusiasm by the people. The board of trade was reorganized, money subscribed for city advertising, and a new industrial life for Easton is assured.”