P.J. Capelotti, a professor of anthropology at Penn State Abington, has documented billboards associated with the iconic roadside attraction “South of the Border” in his latest book, Your Sheep Are All Counted: A Roadside Archaeology of South of the Border Billboards, according to a staff report from the Penn State News.

The title of the book that will be published in July is derived from South of the Border’s most famous billboard, which is one of the few early ones still standing.

South of the Border opened in Hamer, South Carolina, in 1949 as a small beer depot in response to an alcohol sale ban in nearby Robeson County, North Carolina.

Since then, it has become an enduring attraction that has evolved to include shopping, food, motels, and even gambling.

Its billboard campaign along I-95 was a common sight for drivers heading southward from the Mid-Atlantic states to tourism destinations down south. To this day, its possible to see one of its bumper stickers bravely adhering to the back of a classic car from the 1960s or 1970s. The accommodation’s diligent marketing pros placed them everywhere.

In his book, the author has created a visual catalog of hundreds of billboards using images he took while driving through the American South and images collected by University of Pennsylvania architecture scholar John Margolies.

“It is perhaps the last great Eastern Seaboard survivor of the unique attractions that once lined America’s roadsides,” said Capelotti.

Read more about Penn State Abington professor P.J. Capelotti’s book in the Penn State News.