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John Fabion

John Fabion

Indiana Post Office Mural Artist

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Jean Swiggett Franklin IN Artist
Jean Swiggett Franklin Indiana Artist

A total of thirty-six artist created murals in forty-two Indiana Post Office buildings during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Seven of the artist received multiple commissions as noted below. The artist and their awarded sites as listed below.

We have found having a list such as this is convenient when performing research at the National Archives Records and Administration. Any researcher will reveal, that finding information is part of the fun, somethings what you are looking for is catalogued by the artist name. Other times the research materials you need may be cataloged by the city or town, and so on.

Having a list to refer to is helpful on your journey of discovering these wonderful treasures in our nations post offices.

Indiana Post Office Mural Artist

Alexandria: Roland Author Schweinsburg
Angola: Charles Malcolm Campbell
Attica: Reva Jackman
Aurora: Henrik Martin Mayer*
Batesville: Orville A. Carroll
Bedford: John Fabion
Berne: Walter Gardner
Bloomfield: Lilian Swann Saarinen
Boonville: Ida York Abelman
Cambridge City: Samuel Franklin Hershey
Crawfordsville: Frank Weathers Long
Crown Point: George Melville Smith
Culver: Jessie Hull Mayer*
Danville: Gail Wycoff Martin
Dunkirk: Frances Foy Dalstrom
Fowler: Nat Werner
Franklin: Jean Swiggett
Gas City: William Adelbert Dolwick*
Garrett: Joe Cox
Hobart: William Adelbert Dolwick*
Indianapolis-Birch Bayh Federal Building: Grant Wright Christian*
Indianapolis-Birth Bayh Federal Building: David K. Rubins
Indianapolis-Broad Ripple: Alan Tompkins*
Jasper: Jessie Hull Mayer*
Knightstown: Raymond L. Morris
Lafayette: Henrik Martin Mayer*
Lagrange: Jessie Hull Mayer*
Liberty: Avery Johnson
Ligonier: Fay E. Davis
Martinsville: Alan Tompkins*
Middlebury: Raymond Redell
Monticello: Marguerite Thompson Zorach
Nappanee: Grant Wright Christian*
North Manchester: Alan Tompkins*
Paoli: Tom Rost
Pendleton: William Frederick Kaeser
Rensselaer: John Edward Costigan
Rockville: Milton Avery
Spencer: Joseph Meert
Tell City: Laci de Gerenday
Terre Haute: Frederick Webb Ross
Tipton: Donald Magnus Mattison*
Union City: Donald Magnus Mattison*

Henrick Martin Mayer
Jessie Hull Mayer
William Dolwick
Grant Wright Christian
Alan Tompkins
Donald Mattison

New Deal Artists Biographies NARA
New Deal Artists Biographies NARA
New Deal Artists Biographies NARA

Sources

Bedford Indiana Post Office

By

Bedford IN Post Office 47421
Bedford IN Post Office 47421

ADDRESS: 1720 H St, Bedford, IN 47421
ARTIST: John Fabion
TITLE: Limestone Quarry Workers
MEDIUM: Terra-cotta (relief)
STATUS: The original Bedford post office closed and moved to this facility. The sculpture was moved and resides in the retail section of the lobby. It is best viewed during business hours as the retail section of the lobby is closed during non-business hours.
YEAR: 1942

Note to self: the relief is located in the LOCKED section of the lobby. I took the following images through the glass doors. In addition the relief is also covered by a display case.

Before heading to Bedford, I was trying to figure out the location of the original building. But apparently I did not write this down prior to my visit. When I showed up to this building, I was standing outside of my car, apparently looking confused.

A kind lady asked if I needed help. I explained that I was looking for the original building and she immediately responded that she knew exactly where it was and that I should follow her. WOW! a personal escort to the old building.

I wasn’t expecting that, thank you.

David W. Gates Jr.

Bedford IN Post Office 47421
Bedford IN Post Office 47421
Bedford IN Post Office 47421
Bedford IN Post Office 47421 Dedication Plaque
Bedford IN Post Office 47421
Bedford IN Post Office 47421
Bedford-IN-Post-Office-47421-Relief15
Bedford-IN-Post-Office-47421-Relief20
Bedford-IN-Post-Office-47421-Relief9
Bedford-IN-Post-Office-47421-Relief10
Bedford-IN-Post-Office-47421-Relief11
Bedford-IN-Post-Office-47421-Relief8

“Used with the permission of the United States Postal Service®. All rights reserved.”

Sources