An aged, distinctive Texaco sign on the edge of the road atop a crest of a hill on Horseshoe Valley Road has long been a beacon for drivers – a familiar signpost that has hung in that spot for more than three decades. It is how you knew you were arriving in Anten Mills.
A few days ago, daring thieves targeted the familiar, rusty sign and went to great lengths to steal the iconic emblem of a once-famous gas brand.
“I am beyond angry someone would steal this from my father's house,” wrote Danielle Coutts in a Facebook post about the theft.
She said that sometime during the night of Thursday, Feb. 15 and the morning of Friday, Feb. 16, a pair of thieves – in separate vehicles – parked on the side of Horseshoe Valley Road, walked up the ditch, went on to her father’s property, retrieved his extension ladder and used it to climb the pole and remove the sign.
The old Texaco sign is not only well-known to frequent travelers of that stretch of road, it was a family heirloom. The sign has been in the Priest family since 1957 and has been erected at the Coutts’ home since they purchased it in 1981.
“Please be on the lookout for it,” said Coutts. “It is an Anten Mills landmark/icon and a memorable item for the Priest/Coutts families.”
The sign is over six-feet in diameter and is inscribed with ‘P & C 1957’. Family members reported the theft of police and are using social media to attempt to have the sign returned to the family.
