Incredible. I've driven by it many times and have never learned the origin story:
> Built in 1974, the tower originally advertised the up-and-coming Florence Mall, as part of an agreement with the mall developers who donated the land for the tower. But because the mall was not built yet, the tower violated highway regulations, and the city was forced to change it within a short deadline. Rather than repaint the entire tower, they simply painted over the two vertical lines of the "M" to create a "Y". The intent was to change it back when the mall was built, but the local residents liked the tower's new proclamation, so the city decided to leave it as it was.
The water tower has its own Wikipedia page [0], which includes a photo of it before the "alteration" too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence%2C_Kentucky#Arts_and_...