Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-28
REMOVAL OF SIGNS
AT CROSS STARTED
Prince Georges County Wom-
en- Meet to Talk About
Cleanup of Roads.

A wrecking crew of the General Out
door Advertising Co., visited the site of
the Memorial Peace Cross at the inter-
section of the Bladensburg and Defense
Highways early today and commenced
the destruction of billboards surround
ing this American Legion monument on
the historic battlefield of Bladensburg.
The work of removing the half a
dozen huge boards Of the company was
being done under direction of John E.
Shoemaker, Washington manager, who
is cooperating fully with civic forces
in the campaign to improve the ap-
pearanceS of the highway approaches
leading into the National Capital.
Women Meet at Mount Rainier.
BY coincidence the wrecking crew
| went out this mornina while the Prince
Georges County Yedesa alton of Women's
Clubs was preparing to meet in Mount
Rainier to discuss the outdoor sign
situation in the county. This organ
ization has fought long and hard 10
clean up the situation at the Peace
Cross, which the Edgar Snyder Post
erected in memory of the World War
dead of Prince Georges County.
tons in the Washington territory and
as a result decided that the signboards
In the immediate vicinity Of the Peace
Cross should come down next. This Is
at one of the most Travelled 1nterSec-
lions in the entire Washington terri
tory. Thousands of motorists going or
coming from Baltimore pass the monu-
ment and those coming from Annapolis
also enter the Bladensburg road at this
point. The site is OF general historic
| interest because Of the battle in the
War of 1912 that resulted in the burn
ing Of the Capitol by the British.
BiIlboards Block View.
Realizing some time ago that its bill
| boards then were dangerous TO trafnc
| conditions because they obscured vision
at the curve, the General outdoor Ao-
vertising Co. caused them TO be set back
| to a safe distance In other ways, too,
| the company has sought to improve
| conditions at the intersection.
It erected O wall about the monument
and generally indicated its willingness
to help improve appearances.
Public sentiment in the neighborhood,
particularly among women's organiza-
| tons, has long been aroused over the
DETACHMENT of historic spots by erec-
| ton Of billboards and other unsightly
| road one Of the most unattractive APP
proaches to Washington. In every way
possible, Mr.. Shoemaker assured, his
company would cooperate in these
plans to clean up conditions along this
route.
1t was expected that other billboards
of the company in that district would
be removed as soon as possible the
General outdoor Advertising Co. making
~. tor tn hi NOV
prepArations for the 1882 Bicentennial.
| More tourists will be coming into Wash
ington over this route for the Bicenten-
| NAL than over any other.
| Full Cooperation Offered.
Residents in the vicinity of the Peace
Cross thought the wrecking crew had
been sent out to put UP more billboards,
but their feeling quickly changed when
| they saw the work of destruction start
| ed. Civic associations In Prince Georges
| County are just as interested In having
dumps and other unSightly structures
removed from the vicinity Of the Peace
Cross which belongs to the whole
| county The Federation OF Women's
Clubs has been one Of the prime movers
| in these efforts.
Mr.. Shoemaker indicated that his
company would not confine itself to the
So-called two-nile zone in removing and
reallocating its billboards. Believing
| that Washington. as the Capital Of the
1 Nation, is a distinctive city in which
the country as a whole is deeply in
terested, he said he was prepared to ex-
tend the work within reason to the
metropolitan area. This could be done,
he pointed out, either by the destruc-
! ton of boards or the removal Of others
| of the main highways.