Parma Conservation

Shelbyville Illinois Post Office

February 13, 2016 By David W. Gates Jr.

ADDRESS: 200 South Morgan Street, Shelbyville, Illinois, 62565
ARTIST: Lucia May Wiley
TITLE: Shelby County Fair – 1900
MEDIUM: Fresco (mural)
STATUS: The Shelbyville post office is still an active, operating facility, and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1941

This was a special trip we made during the summer of 2015. I was delighted to have my wife and son accompany me. We had a nice enjoyable weekend. Our initial plan was to camp out, but the weather turned and we spent the night in a hotel.

So this would be the first article that features a cameo with my son in the lobby. He is kind of hard to spot since his close blend in with the colors of the lobby. But that is indeed him checking out the display cabinet. I wonder when he grows up if he will be interested in post office buildings and art. Only time will tell.

I love the colors of this mural. I also like that it comes down past the bulletin boards. (see images). I’ve seen several like this and often wonder what was going through the artist’s mind when they did this? I wonder if this was part of the requirement.

Kudos to the staff of this building for keeping it so well maintained.

Does anyone know the meaning or thought process by painting around the bulletin boards? Please comment and share below.

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.

no images were found

Sources

Personal visit on 9/5/2015 by David W. Gates Jr.
(affiliate link) Illinois Post Office Mural Guidebook
United States Postal Service
(affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
Parma Conservation (https://parmaconservation.com)

Marshall Illinois Post Office

February 6, 2016 By David W. Gates Jr.

ADDRESS: 115 North 7th Street, Marshall, Illinois, 62441
ARTIST: Miriam McKinnie (Hofmeier)
TITLE: Harvest
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The Marshall post office is still an active, operating facility and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1938

Today’s featured post office is from Marshall, Illinois.

I’m always delighted to find additional old photos and artifacts in the lobby of buildings during my site visits. Take Marshall for instance. Someone took the time to hang these old photos in the built-in bulletin boards. Every single old post office with this design that I have visited, has these built-in bulletin board cases.

So it’s wonderful that someone actually too the time to hang them up. It’s those little touches that really makes visiting all these post offices worth it. It’s like stepping into a museum exhibit. So here you go folks, here is the Marshall, Illinois post office exhibit. Complete with a great looking mural.

Not only is this this a great little post office, but it is also a historic art & architecture site. I know little about this designation but there you go. What do you know about it? Please comment and share below.

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.

Marshall Illinois Post Office Mural 62441 Right Side

Marshall Illinois Post Office Mural 62441 Left Side

Marshall Illinois Post Office Mural 62441 Full

Marshall Illinois Post Office Mural 62441 Detail

Marshall Illinois Post Office Mural 62441 Center

Marshall Illinois Post Office 62441 Train

Marshall Illinois Post Office 62441 Ship

Marshall Illinois Post Office 62441 Plane

Marshall Illinois Post Office 62441 Lobby

Marshall Illinois Post Office 62441 Cornerstone

Marshall Illinois Post Office 62441 Artifacts

Sources

Personal visit on 9/5/2015 by David W. Gates Jr.
(affiliate link) Illinois Post Office Mural Guidebook
United States Postal Service
(affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
Parma Conservation (https://parmaconservation.com)

Chester Illinois Post Office

January 30, 2016 By David W. Gates Jr.

ADDRESS: 1321 Swanwick Street, Chester, Illinois 62233
ARTIST: Fay Elizabeth Davis
TITLE: Loading the Packet
MEDIUM: Tempera (mural)
STATUS: The Chester post office is still an active, operating facility, and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1940

Sometimes when I’m in the zone I often think about other things. It’s about this time that I just become a machine and go through the motions during my visits. Often times I find myself on autopilot not thinking of the task at hand.

While I’m writing up this article, I have little recollection of my visit in Chester. I’m digging in the back of my mind to come up with what this visit was like or how it felt. I’m drawing a blank and the only explanation I can come up with is that I must have been so absorbed in my work.

It also appears I liked the lobby as I took several more photos that usual of the Chester building. What do you think of this mural? I’m guessing the Packet was the name of the boat? Can anyone confirm of dispute this?

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.