Post offices with murals, includes new deal and non-new deal art.

Sabetha Kansas Post Office

July 30, 2022 By David W. Gates Jr.

ADDRESS: 122 S 9th St, Sabetha, Kansas 66534
ARTIST: Albert T. Reid
TITLE: The Hare and the Tortoise
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (murals)
STATUS: The Sabetha post office is still an active, operating facility and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the public. The mural resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1937

Sabetha was the second stop with artwork during my summer 2022 visit. There were three I visited during this short trip. I was in Kansas for a family wedding.

David W. Gates Jr.

Sabetha KS Post Office 66534 Cornerstone

Sabetha KS Post Office 66534 Mural Signature

Sabetha KS Post Office 66534 Mural Right

Sabetha KS Post Office 66534 Mural Center

Sources

Personal visit on 7/23/2022 at 10:22 AM by David W. Gates Jr.
United States Postal Service
(affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). KTWU Sunflower Journey’s. “Murals, Glass & Mask” – 2604 Season 26 Episode 2604, Post Office Murals, Depression Glass, Plains People: Dave Van Hee.
Kansas Sampler Foundation 8 Wonders of Kansas Art | Post Office Section Art, statewide Kansas Sampler Foundation

Horton Kansas Post Office

July 29, 2022 By David W. Gates Jr.

ADDRESS: 825 1st Ave E, Horton, Kansas 66439
ARTIST: Kenneth Evett
TITLE: Picnic in Kansas and Changing Horses for the Pony Express
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (murals)
STATUS: The Horton post office is still an active, operating facility and the murals can be viewed by interested members of the public. The larger mural resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door. The second panel resides above the post office boxes on the other side of the lobby.
YEAR: 1939

In the summer of 2022 I attended a family in Kansas. During this trip I stopped at three post offices with artwork. Horton was the first one I viewed from Kansas. The two others I visited were Sabetha, and Seneca.

David W. Gates Jr.

Horton KS Post Office 66439 Mural Signature

Horton KS Post Office 66439 Mural Center

Horton KS Post Office 66439 Second Mural

Horton KS Post Office 66439 Second Mural Center

Horton KS Post Office 66439 Second Mura Left

Horton KS Post Office 66439 Second Mural Right

Horton KS Post Office 66439 Second Mural Signature

Sources

Personal visit on 7/23/2022 at 8:47 AM by David W. Gates Jr.
United States Postal Service
Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
Kansas Sampler Foundation: 8 Wonders of Kansas Art | Post Office Section Art, statewide Kansas Sampler Foundation
Smithsonian American Art Museum Mural Study: Picnic in Kansas (mural study, Horton, Kansas Post Office) | Smithsonian American Art Museum (si.edu)
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). KTWU Sunflower Journey’s. “Murals, Glass & Mask” – 2604 Season 26 Episode 2604, Post Office Murals, Depression Glass, Plains People: Dave Van Hee.

Merced California Post Office Bell Station – Guest

July 21, 2022 By Doug

ADDRESS: 415A W 18th St, Merced, CA 95340
ARTIST: Helen Forbes
TITLE: Jedediah Smith Crossing the Merced River
MEDIUM: Tempera on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The Merced post office is still an active operating facility and the mural resides in the lobby for interested members of the public.
YEAR: 1937

Bell Station is also a Federal Building and was renamed for Thomas Bell who was a mail carrier and later acting postmaster in Merced. He combined to work for the USPS in Merced for 50 years. The lobby mural is of American hunter Jedediah Smith Crossing the Merced River. The mural was painted in 1937. This building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Doug