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

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.

Chester Illinois Post Office 62233 Cornerstone

Chester Illinois Post Office 62233 Lobby

Chester Illinois Post Office Mural 62233 Detail

Chester Illinois Post Office Mural 62233 Center

Chester Illinois Post Office Mural 62233 Right Side

Chester Illinois Post Office Mural 62233 Full

Chester Illinois Post Office Mural 62233 Left Side

Chester Illinois Post Office Mural 62233 Signature

Sources

Personal visit on 5/2/2015 by David W. Gates Jr.
Illinois Post Office Mural Guidebook
United States Postal Service
Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
Parma Conservation

Virden Illinois Post Office

January 23, 2016 By David W. Gates Jr.

ADDRESS: 211 North Springfield Street, Virden, Illinois 62690
ARTIST: James Daugherty
TITLE: Illinois Pastoral
MEDIUM: Tempera (mural)
STATUS: The Virden 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: 1939

If I had to provide one word to describe this mural I’d say “wavy”. If I had to use another word I’d say “colorful”. I think those are the two best descriptions of this mural. I also like that it takes up the entire wall. I spent a nice bit of time in Virden. There was a lot going on in this mural and I took a bunch of detail pictures.

What is your one word to describe this mural? What is your favorite piece of it or part of it? Did you know the artists? Please comment and share below.

David W. Gates Jr.