11/02/2026
Advertising on the sides of farmers’ barns that were visible from the highway is something you don’t see much anymore. It was a pretty common sight years ago, especially here in Appalachia and throughout the rural communities of the Ohio Valley. This is located between Prestonsburg and Salyersville.
This particular barn has the old familiar Chew Mail Pouch To***co advertisement. I’m sure a lot of you remember seeing these along the highways and country roads when traveling through Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio and surrounding states.
The Mail Pouch advertising campaign dates back to the late 1800s, with the Bloch Brothers To***co Company out of Wheeling, West Virginia, becoming well known for painting its advertisements on barns. The familiar slogan was “Chew Mail Pouch To***co, Treat Yourself to the Best.”
The company would actually send representatives out looking for barns that had good visibility from the highway. They would negotiate with the farmers for the advertising space. In the early days, farmers might receive a magazine subscription, to***co, or a little cash. Some accounts put the cash payment at around $1 to $2 a year. The company would also provide a fresh coat of paint on the barn, so it was a pretty good deal for the farmer.
At one time, thousands upon thousands of these advertisements could be found across the country. They became especially popular throughout Appalachia and the surrounding states.
As automobiles became more common and the highway system expanded, traditional roadside billboards gradually became a more popular way for businesses to advertise. Billboards offered companies more flexibility because they could advertise different products, change their messages and place signs in locations without needing a farmer’s barn.
The Mail Pouch advertising campaign continued for decades, even as other companies moved toward traditional billboards. New barn advertisements largely stopped around 1969, and the company finally ended the program in 1992.
Today, those old painted advertisements are reminders of a different time. They weren’t just advertisements. They were part of the scenery, part of our travels and part of growing up in these Appalachian mountains.
It’s always interesting to come across one that has survived all these years. I wonder how many of you remember seeing these old barn advertisements when you were growing up.
Some things from the good old days are worth remembering!
