The History of the First Billboards in America and —the Origin of the term ‘BILLBOARD’

Spring has sprung, Q2 has arrived, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to dust off OOH history and retell it with complete confidence and zero concern for facts because truth and facts should never get in the way of a good story.

Our story’s hero is young William “Bill” Boarders, a Depression‑era haberdashery kid who drew the short straw and got kicked outside to do the advertising. Armed with a homemade sandwich board—crafted by Dad, lettered by Mom, and held together with spare suspenders—Bill roamed the streets yelling slogans and aggressively existing.

Surprisingly, it worked. While other shops folded in the depths of an ailing economy, the Boarders’ business thrived. Merchants noticed. Soon, they were begging Bill to wear their messages. Bill hired more walkers. The streets are filled with signs. Business owners began saying, “Put it on one of Bill’s boards,” which—thanks to laziness and time—eventually became billboards.

Advertisers started placing orders for fractions of Bill’s staff—25%, 50%, “whatever we can afford”—thus inventing the term showing. And the sign carriers themselves? They became known, just like Bill, as ‘Outdoor Salesman.’

Naturally dubbed outdoor salesmen, because nothing says sales like sweaty men wearing plywood.

The father’s ‘sign idea’ through his son, proved that billboard advertising, when continued in tough times, yielded far greater success than businesses that did not advertise.

Eventually, Bill had earned enough money that he stopped walking, bought land, planted stationary boards, and called it progress. Bill Boarders became very wealthy from his ‘billboard business,’ and the rest is outdoor advertising (or as you know it) billboard history.

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