New and more appropriate street signs are being erected in Beaufort’s National Historic Landmark District this summer, completing an effort that began more than a decade ago.

[caption id="attachment_17452" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Street-sign-2014.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-17452" alt="New old-style street signs to be installed in the city of Beaufort historic district." src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Street-sign-2014-300x225.jpg" width="300" height="225" /></a> New old-style street signs to be installed in the city of Beaufort historic district.[/caption]

“This has been a long time coming, but the effect is impressive,” said Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling. “The new street signs are easy to read, they will be used only on streets in the Historic District, and they also have a ‘1711’ to showcase when Beaufort was founded.”

In 1954, the Beaufort City Council approved the first street name signs for the city. The signs were white with black letters, with a black border. Over time, those signs deteriorated and were replaced with state-issued street name signs with white lettering on a green background.

Hoping to emphasize the unique nature of Beaufort’s Historic District, the city’s Historic District Review Board in 2002 approved a design reminiscent of the original signs. Those designs sat untouched until 2009, when the city planning staff resurrected the effort.

“We worked hard to make the new signs easy to read and historically appropriate to our National Historic Landmark District,” said Lauren Kelly, Beaufort city planner. “We wanted to help our visitors identify and appreciate the streets and homes in the Historic District.”