Tommy Moses, Barn painter and sign builder

Job: Barn painter and sign builder, Rock City Gardens, Lookout Mountain

What I do: If you spot "See Rock City" on a sign, a giant birdhouse or a barn, you're looking at the work of Tommy Moses.

He's been painting, building and installing signs for the Lookout Mountain attraction near Chattanooga since 1964. "That's a whole lot of signs," he said.

While most of his work now involves installing vinyl signs on billboards, he also is one of the last people in America to paint advertisements on barns.

He and his crew just finished painting a barn near Kouts, Ind., to commemorate Rock City's 75th anniversary this year.

Moses, 69, said there are just 80 or so "See Rock City" barns left, and he painted several of them after he was hired by the late Clark Byers, Rock City's legendary barn painter.

Moses recalled how barn advertising used to be much more common. "See Rock City" barns marked the way to the South for tourists for years, while "Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco" ads were common on barns throughout the Midwest.

It's far more common now to spot "See Rock City" on a billboard along the highway.

Faster traffic on interstate highways bypasses most of the old painted barns. The barn in Indiana that he just finished "wasn't even on a main road," Moses said.

Now, "we don't paint so much," he said. Instead, he installs vinyl signs that are strapped over billboards. "Some of 'em are high," Moses noted. "They're all about the same — just some are higher than others."

Billboards along major highways, such as the one he installed recently near East Ridge, Tenn., can be 100 feet in the air. Other signs include giant replicas of the famous "See Rock City" birdhouse.

What got me interested in this: "I started helping Clark Byers paint [barns and signs] in 1964," Moses said. "He was looking for someone. I've been there ever since."

Best part of my job: "I still like to climb, and I still like to paint," he said.

Most challenging part: "Painting those darn birdhouse signs," Moses said.

The signs are big cutouts of the birdhouses. "They're hard to paint," he said.

That very few billboards are painted anymore. One of the biggest changes Moses said he's seen over the last 40-plus years is the switch to preprinted vinyl signs. Most are attached to billboard structures with straps.

What keeps me going: While he could have retired years ago, "I'm still there because I want to," Moses said.

Preparation needed for this job: "You need to be able to climb and not be scared of heights," Moses said. "And you have to have some common sense."

He said he's been on high billboards on windy days, and "you have to be careful."

Moses was born in Chattanooga and graduated from high school in the area. He now lives in Alabama near Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain.

— By Karl W. Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.