|
The 36
feet long by 8 feet tall mural, mounted on the side of the buildings
owned by Peter and Andrea Niehaus, celebrates the history of the
town with tributes to each of 22 landmarks within the community.
Gillett Ransom
Peter Niehaus
The
official ceremony began with welcoming remarks from Gillette Ransom,
and then comments by Peter Niehaus. Niehaus said that the mural was
actually the result of conversations that had begun at least two
years ago. The conversations were about doing something to make
Elkhart a Route 66 stop for those who travel the Mother Road each
year. The idea had finally come to put together a mural that would
show Route 66 as part of the town’s history, and at the same time,
note the many historically significant areas in and around the
community.
Renee Sisk and her sister Andrea Niehaus worked many months on the
project, with Renee being the primary artist, and Andrea working
under beside her. Niehaus said one of the more challenging aspects
of the mural was its size. In order to make something large and
noteworthy, the mural had been done in four-foot sections. The
artwork had been done in the Niehaus home, and the artists could fit
only three, four-foot sections into the work area at a time.
The difficult part he said was making sure that though the sections
were done individually, the end product would need to come together
with precision. He noted that in his opinion at least, the ladies
had done a fantastic job of it.
Later in the day, Andrea Niehaus would give the lion’s share of the
success to her sister Renee. She said that Renee had arranged the
layout and done all the drawing and much of the detailed painting.
Andrea laughingly said, “I painted a lot of trees and hills.”
During the Route 66 Fall Festival held Labor Day weekend, the
sections of the mural were set up on the sidewalk and community
members were invited to add some of the finishing touches to the
painting.
On hand
for the reveal event on Saturday was Mark McDonald of the popular
PBS series Illinois Stories. McDonald was asked to join Andrea
Niehaus in the ceremonial removal of the red ribbon, signifying the
mural was now available for viewing by the public.
The Saturday afternoon event was an invitation only ceremony. When
the ribbons had been removed, everyone present lined up in front of
the mural for a commemorative photo, then were invited inside to the
Wild Hare Café for refreshments and fellowship. A large buffet of
finger foods was set out and a variety of wines were uncorked for
the reception.
Guests
enjoyed visiting and talking about the mural, and also taking a
moment to speak personally with McDonald. As the afternoon came to a
close, each attendee was given an oversized full color postcard of
the mural accompanied with a paper print with a key identifying each
of the notable landmarks on the mural.
Items on
the mural:
The
CroHurst Mansion – home of Jessie D. Gillett, built in 1836
[to top of second column] |
Oglehurst Mansion – home of Governor Oglesby – built in 1892
Spring Bluebells and other wildflowers
Elkhart
Grain Company – first silo built in 1954
John Parke Gillett Memorial Arch – built in 1950
Elkhart
Public Library –built in 1904
The Hunter House Restoration Project by the Elkhart Historical
Society – built in the 1890’s
Gillett
Chapel – built in 1890
United Methodist Church – built in1863
Downtown
Elkhart – Incorporated in 1855, several of the current buildings
date back to 1899
Elkhart Historical Society Tour Wagon
Elkhart Christian Church - built in 1867
Doughboy Memorial Statue World War I
Old
Gillett Mansion – home of John D. Gillett
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church – built 1864
Acknowledgment of American Native presence in the Elkhart area
Acknowledge of wildlife native to Elkhart, particularly the Elk for
which the town was named
Edward Trace, originally known as Old Trace
Texaco
Gas Station – 1940’s (owned by and recently renovated into offices
for Elkhart Grain Company)
Short Horn Cattle – developed by J.D. Gillett in the 1870’s
The location of the original Country Bumpkin owned by Elizabeth
Drake in the 1950’s
Route 66, which arrived in Elkhart in September of 1945
In addition to members of the community and Mark McDonald, others on
hand for the event included Geoff Ladd of the Route 66 Scenic
Byways, Cris Wibben of the Logan County Tourism Bureau, and Hal
Smith from Congressman Darin LaHood’s Springfield office.
[Nila Smith] |
