07/27/2025
What’s the story behind this Uneeda Biscuit “Ghost Sign?”
In 1898 the newly formed National Biscuit Company (later Nabisco) introduced Uneeda Biscuit - the first widely sold boxed cracker. It featured patented “In‑er‑Seal” packaging (waxed paper + cardboard) that kept crackers fresh, marking a shift away from traditional bulk barrel sales. In 1902 Nabisco built an Uneeda Biscuit factory in Shreveport, Louisiana, notably the tallest privately‐owned building in the city at the time. The cracker became a household staple in the early 1900s, backed by unprecedented mass media advertising - including newspaper displays, streetcar cards, posters, and painted murals like this. Over time Nabisco expanded its offerings - introducing Barnum’s Animal Crackers, Oreos, Ritz Crackers - and the Uneeda line, like this mural, gradually faded from prominence.
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