Hobo signs were developed by migrant workers across the nation as a means to help fellow “knights of the road.”
These signs were most prolific during the Great Depression, as upwards of 4 million adults had to leave their homes in search of food and shelter elsewhere. According to logo designer David Airey, markings in the form of signs and symbols would be made on fences, buildings, trees and pavement — anywhere a message could signal help or trouble.
A square missing its top line signifies an area being a safe place to camp. A triangle with hands represents a homeowner with a gun. A cat is a symbol for a kind lady living in a residence.
These signs began to disappear from the landscape of the United States by the 1950s. The decline was largely owed to postwar prosperity. According to Jack Kerouac, author of “Lonesome Traveler,” another major factor of the decline was increased police surveillance of highways and railroad yards.
While hobo signs have dwindled across the nation, a poster of these markings adorns the wall of a new pub and restaurant in Brownstown.
The Bearded Hobo, co-owned by Michael Smith and Sam Steppey, soft opened on March 14.
Smith and Steppey met 15 years ago. The pair originally had an idea for a small barbecue restaurant that would serve craft beers, but according to Smith, the timing was never right for the project. In the summer of 2022, Smith and Steppey looked at a location to potentially develop a pizzeria and hamburger joint, however, the lot turned out to not be feasible.
The Bearded Hobo is located at 1029 W. Commerce St., the former lot of Freedom Fireworks and Fright Night Halloween — a site with two buildings. The location also was the site of an army surplus story for many decades.
“We found this (location) and decided, since we’re buying these buildings and all the acreage, let’s do a nice pub and family restaurant, and then we’re going to do a brewery next door with an event center above it,” Smith said.
The name of the restaurant is inspired by Steppey’s great-grandparents.
“Of course I have the beard, but Sam Steppey is from southern Illinois, and I believe his great-grandparents had lost a set of twins at birth,” Smith said. “By the time they were going to bury the children, the town found a man passed away along the railroad tracks. Sam’s great-grandpa volunteered to bury this unknown hobo with the set of twins.”
The location was purchased by Smith and Steppey in October 2022. At first, the two co-owners tried to do the remodel with the assistance of Smith’s sons, who were 17 at the time. The project turned out to be too big to tackle without help. In the summer of 2023, they reached out to local contractor Marc Lahrman of Brownstown for assistance.
On what advice he would give aspiring restaurant entrepreneurs, Smith said, “Do your research. Reach out to vendors prior to so you know kind of what to expect food-wise, pop-wise, alcohol-wise — everything that you see in a bar has a vendor, so reach out to vendors and ask local establishment owners for their advice, because what you think is an easy project will not turn out to be an easy project.”
The menu on the day of The Bearded Hobo’s soft opening included, for starters, smoked “Gump” wings, Hobo Nachos, pork rinds, fried green beans and fried banana pepper rings; for entrees, the Hobo Burger (featuring the pub’s Hobo Sauce), a bacon cheeseburger, the Carolina gold brisket burger, a breaded spicy chicken “sammy” and Indiana’s Favorite: a large, breaded pork tenderloin. The restaurant also serves flatbreads and salads.
A grand opening has been tentatively scheduled for around May or June this year.