Collection: Hobo Signs Tees (American Made)

Hobo signs were a secret, often chalk-or-charcoal, communication system developed by itinerant workers and travelers in the late 19th/early 20th century to mark routes, identify safe houses, warn of danger, or find food. These symbols were typically drawn on fences, mailboxes, or trees to guide, protect, and inform fellow travelers on the road.

Historically, a hobo is a migrant worker who travels (often by train) specifically to find work, while a bum is defined as someone who neither travels nor works, often relying on panhandling. A third, related term, tramp, refers to one who travels but avoids working. These distinctions originated in the late 19th/early 20th century, particularly during the Great Depression