A sign system for a historic plantation project

Every once in a while in the sign business, you get to be involved in a project that’s a lot of fun. When the current owners of the Burlington Plantation changed the main buildings into a wedding/event center, our job was to design the logos and fabricate the sign system to match its English Colonial history. I love American history, so this job was extremely interesting to me.

The plantation sits amid what is known as “Plantation Row”—the Virginia plantations along the James River and the Powhatan Old Indian Trail. Originally part of the Walnut Grove/Sherwood Forest Plantation of President Tyler, circa 1720, the story has it that the land for Burlington Plantation was won in a poker game in 1815.

I started with the logo design, combining the old family crest with a pineapple, which was the 18th century symbol of welcoming. The Burlington banner and some additional ornaments rounded out the look. A traditional roman letter was used for the text.