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Our
Murals
(Mural
Photos
by Mr. Butch Shaffer)
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 Behind the Murals…
“Vision: The first step toward creating an improved future
is developing the ability to envision it. “ ~Author Unknown~ In the mid 1990s, the
Chillicothe Development Corporation began to focus on Downtown Chillicothe. They saw the need to bring commerce and tourism back to the heart of the community. Through their own personal travels, they found that a unique way to transform the streetscape of a community was through artistic renderings on barren walls. After additional research, the first
mural was commissioned of the Chillicothe Business College at 710 Washington followed by the Grahams Mill Mural at 504 Washington. The significant paintings not only dressed up the scenery but also began drawing in people from out of town leading to a boost in tourism. The initial vision has grown to include 15 murals and draws in more people each passing year. Let our murals rekindle thoughts of days gone by, simpler times and wonderment of how life once was in the City of
Chillicothe.  Meet the Artist…
Kelly William Poling, a resident of Chillicothe, Missouri, is a super realist extraordinaire. Originality and creative ideas are special gifts which he has adapted to the requisites of others. Reproduction and enlargement of photographs is a specialty of Poling’s so when the first historic mural of Chillicothe was commissioned, he was the top pick. Fifteen murals and two ghost signs later… Kelly is still providing the Chillicothe area with beautiful, larger-than-life renditions of days gone by. In addition to his local notoriety, Poling has also had many of his works displayed in the MGM and Palace Station Casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada where he resided for two years and has had works displayed at the Josyln Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. Kelly, his wife, Angela, son, Gabriel, and daughter, McKenna, have resided in Chillicothe since November 1997. Family is a big part of Poling’s work. See if you can spot his family members’ names hidden in the murals. Kelly and Angela are co-owners of the Original Artworks by Kelly Art Gallery in Chillicothe. In addition to the display of his art, he custom mats and frames artwork. To get an Original Artwork by Kelly, please call (660) 646-6451 or come by 443 Locust Street in Chillicothe from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. His artworks are possessions you will treasure for the rest of your life. So don't miss out!
Information
for our Historic District pages was obtained from the United States Department
of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places
Registration Form completed by Becky L. Snider of Becky L. Snider Consulting,
LLC, April, 2002. You may contact Becky Snider by calling 573-256-1105,
Columbia, Missouri. |
1 - STREET SCENE MURAL
108 Washington Street
This mural depicts Webster Street on the north side of the square in downtown Chillicothe circa 1916. Webster Street was well traveled by visitors arriving and departing from the Milwaukee depot on the east end of town who might have traveled by the Bus, Baggage & Transfer Line operated by Ishmael & Allen. Many of the buildings in the mural are still used by downtown businesses.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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2 - FIRE DEPARTMENT MURAL
700 2nd Street
The Chillicothe Fire Department mural features historic scenes from 1886 to the 1920s. Chillicothe has a tradition of possessing an effective fire fighting department and the scenes in this mural depict the department’s equipment and operation over the early decades of its existence as a part of city government. The team of horses, Joe & Dan, set the world’s record in 1898 for their speed in responding to a fire.
Click on the images
to see a closer view.
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3 - GIRL SCOUT/YOUTH MURAL
327 Washington Street
“Kids Throughout the Decades” is the theme that four local Girl Scout troops selected for this mural that served as their Gold Award Project. The scrapbook style mural features pictures from the area to show how kids lived and played during the 1800s through the 1930s. All of the photos were chosen due to their special significance in the history of the Girl Scouts.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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4 -
ORIGINAL ARTWORKS BY KELLY
443 Locust Street
This mural is the former 500 block of Locust Street and depicts the “New York Store”. This Chillicothe mainstay was built in 1886, handling all of Chillicothe’s dry goods and serving as one of north Missouri’s finest establishments for purchasing ornate hats, caps, gloves and robes as well as other necessary household items.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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5 - WINKELMEYER MURAL
455 Locust Street
This recreation of an earlier “ghost sign” harkens back to previous occupants of the building circa the 1920s. The building has had many uses
including a hotel, barber shop, pool hall, lawyer’s offices, a grocery store, a furniture store, a women’s dress store, an undertaker’s parlor, millinery, and brothel.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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6 - CITIZENS BANK & TRUST
515 Locust Street
This mural, painted in April 1994, depicts the newly remodeled lobby of Citizens Bank & Trust circa 1907.
Citizen’s Bank was established in 1889 and has served Chillicothe and the surrounding area for over 100 years.
Click on the image
to see a closer view. |
7 - BRICK PLANT MURAL
619 Elm Street
This 3-dimensional mural was designed by Sherwood Patek whose family owned and operated Midland Tile & Brick for over 35 years. The Brick Plant was operational until the late 1900’s. It is a unique mural with layers of texture as well as rich in area history.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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8 -
OUTDOOR MURAL
801 Elm Street
This unique 2-sided mural illustrates Livingston County’s rich connection with the outdoors. Take the time to explore the different elements that combine to make this mural native to the area. The blue heron, wild turkey and bobcat blend in with their painted background of the Grand River and surrounding landscape. The bridge portrayed in the background was a major key in the success of the Pony Express as mail was transported to St. Joseph on the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad that crossed that very bridge.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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9 -
ANDERSON TIRE MURAL
801 Locust Street
This rehabilitated “ghost sign” represents the early 1900s inhabitant of the now Anderson Tire Co. building. A. Lowenstein Mercantile Company was purveyor of wholesale eggs, wool, and other farm produce purchased from Livingston County farmers.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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10 -
RAILROAD MURAL
724 Locust Street
Chillicothe was a point of convergence for three railroads serving northern Missouri - Burlington,
Wabash, and later the Milwaukee Road. This mural includes a scene of a steam engine traveling the local countryside in the last years of the 1890s. The railroad company logos represent the lines that served Chillicothe since 1857.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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11 -
TRANSPORTATION MURAL
708 Locust Street
Created from an original painting by Fred Irvin, this scene portrays a pre-World War I Chillicothe setting. The Milwaukee Depot (demolished in 1977) serves as the backdrop for period vehicles and a drawn streetcar used to transport patrons to the station.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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12 - PALACE OF FASHION
701 Locust Street
Located in approximately the same location where the original storefront was situated, the Palace of Fashion Mural showcases a vibrant, early 1900s women’s apparel and hat store. The store’s
merchandise was widely sought out and people traveled from miles away to purchase new goods. The mural itself is a piece of work. Using the French technique of trompe-l'œil (trick the eye), this mural entertains the illusion of the once existent upper level staircase and balcony. Onlookers enjoy trying to pin point what is real and what is art. Try your eye!
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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13 -
SLICED BREAD MURAL
709 Washington Street
Perhaps Chillicothe’s most sought out mural, this lively scene of historic Locust Street is adorned with the logo of Chillicothe’s claim to fame as the
Home of Sliced
Bread. The first mechanized bread slicing machine, invented by Otto Rohwedder, was used on July 7, 1928 at the Chillicothe
Baking Company owned & operated by Frank Bench. This life altering invention proved to be a great success with a 2,000% increase in bread sales within the first week of its debut. And as they say… the rest is history!
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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14 -
STREET SCENE MURAL
711 Washington Street
This mural was chosen based on an 1890 postcard of Locust Street in it’s prime. The street scene depicts the original buildings in downtown Chillicothe with the activity of the day. Many of the buildings illustrated in the murals of Chillicothe are still in use today. As you travel the streets of downtown Chillicothe, let your minds eye take you to a time of horse & carriage, railroad cars & friendly passersby.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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15 - AGRICULTURAL MURAL
718 Washington St.
The Ag Mural portrays an early 20th Century harvest season,, complete with the “Jenkins Hay Rake” which was designed, built & sold
in Chillicothe, MO. The Jenkins Hay Rake was an early labor saving device that helped to revolutionize agricultural production in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The mural is accented with a steam powered tractor, old threshing machine, log cabin, red wood barn and covered wagon.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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16 - CHILLICOTHE
BUSINESS COLLEGE MURAL
710 Washington Street
Chillicothe was the home to the Chillicothe Business College from 1890 through the early 1950s. The College developed a campus on Chillicothe’s northwest side and offered a variety of professional and occupational training programs for a student body of over 1,000.
Graduates still fondly remember seeing advertisements that spanned from Missouri to California that calculated the number of miles to the CBC.
Click on the images
to see a closer view.
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17
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GRAHAM’S MILL MURAL
504 Washington
One of the earliest businesses in the Chillicothe vicinity, this mill ground cracked grains for local needs in the 1860s. The mill was operated by a water wheel on the Thompson River. From the mill came bakers’
flour as well as feed for livestock. Water power fell out of use in the late 1800s, Graham’s Mill ceased operation by 1910 and was torn down in the 1940s. The covered bridge collapsed in 1944.
Click on the image
to see a closer view.
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To
see some of our murals and how they were developed or to find out about new
murals in development, please click here!
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| Mural
Merchandise Contact
the Main Street Chillicothe office
for more information on the merchandise pictured here! Click on any image to
see a closer view...
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| Mural
Map  To see a closer view
of the map, click on the image at left.
Come visit us! Our Mural Program for
the future promises to be just as creative and historic as in the past. We currently have identified
more exterior walls in downtown that will see murals in the future. Our
themes have included the Utica Brick Plant (on the Livingston County TV &
Appliance wall), Sports, Outdoor, and a historical depiction of our
Chillicothe downtown as it existed in 1928 - the year we became the Home
of Sliced Bread!
Come enjoy and see our
local artist depict Chillicothe's history on
our downtown walls. Currently, we are happy to share with you 17 murals!
For a high
resolution print copy of our
Mural Map brochure, or for more information, please call Crystal at Main
Street Chillicothe at 660-646-4071 or our Tourism Department at 1-877-224-4554.
Download
a PDF version of our current 2-page brochure with map included right here!
(493KB
file size)
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