ADDRESS: 35 E. Sumner Street Hartford, Wisconsin 53027
ARTIST: Ethel Spears
TITLE: Autumn Wisconsin Landscapes
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The mural has been transferred to the Schauer Arts Center and is only viewable during business hours. If visiting the Schauer Center, be sure to call ahead and verify the hours.
YEAR: 1941
Sometimes you just get lucky researching and photographing post offices. When I initially entered the address for the Hartford post office, my GPS brough me to the new Hartford building. I’ll be featuring this one tomorrow so that you may contrast it to this older more distinguished building.
Anyway, when I perform preliminary research looking for murals I just sort of say to myself ok, this one has a mural. Then when I’m out driving around, I enter it into the GPS and off I go. Well, my sources must not been updated as there is now a new post office in Hartford, Wisconsin and this is where my GPS brought me. So naturally when I arrived at the newer building, I was kind of shocked that didn’t find a mural or the older classic style WPA era building.
So what did I do you ask yourself?, Well, I put on my investigative hat on and dug deeper into research mode. I called all my professional contacts, the mayor, my congressman etc. Well, ok not really but that was funny!
Actually I just stopped the next car that drove into the parking lot. A man in a large pickup truck stepped out and I was hopping he was a local. I asked him if he knew where the original post office building was located. Luckily he was familiar with the area and immediately proceeded to give me directions. He also mentioned that a cable company or internet company occupied the building. So at least I knew what to look for. Sure enough I drove over to the building and recognized it right away. It’s the classic square building with staircase in front and stamped corner-stone on the right side.
I took my pictures and proceeded inside to find the mural. When I entered I the lobby I looked right. No mural, not to worry I said to myself then I turned and I looked left. No mural. Sad and curious at this point, I flagged down one of the employees of the business to ask about the building and mural. I was in luck again, as a the gentleman explained they sometimes get visitors interested in the old post office. He also informed me the mural had been moved to the Schauer Arts & Activities Center. Not knowing what this was I had to ask a few more questions and thanked him for his time. I headed over to the Schauer Arts & Activities Center to find the mural.
When I arrived at the arts center I asked the lady in the ticket booth if the old post office mural was here. She confirmed that it was and allowed me to view and photograph it. She was even kind enough to turn on the lights so that I could get some better photographs. So there you have it folks. If you ever find yourself asking this question? Where is the old Hartford post office mural? Or what happened to the Hartford Post Office Mural? The answer is, It’s at the Schauer Arts & Activities Center in Hartford Wisconsin.
Thanks,
David W. Gates Jr.
Sources
- Personal visit on 8/17/2012 by David W. Gates Jr.
- Wisconsin Post Office Murals by David W. Gates Jr.
- Wisconsin Post Office Mural Guidebook by David W. Gates Jr.
- (affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal
: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
- Schauer Arts & Activities Center, Hartford Wisconsin. (https://www.schauercenter.org)
- Postal Times (Hartford post office mural an interesting history of art – Postal Times)
- Washington County Insider (VIDEO | Hartford post office mural an interesting history of art (washingtoncountyinsider.com)
