Sings have been in widespread use for millennia. The earliest road signs, much different from the gurnee signs, the grayslake signs, the mundelein signs or the vernon hills signs, were milestones. The Romans erected stone columns throughout the empire. The stones gave the distance to Rome. This became a fashion during the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, signs were installed which gave directions to cities and towns. These became extremely popular and helped people everywhere find directions.