A group of concerned residents seeks to restore the Virden History Mural in Virden, Illinois, on Route 66 that depicts the town’s transportation history.
City officials dedicated the 52-by-19-foot mural by Greenville College professor John Hubbell in 2004. But it’s encountered hard times recently, reported the Springfield State Journal-Register.
Illinois weather has been hard on the mural, said Suzanne Gray, part of the group hoping to save the mural. A recent windstorm pulled down a corner of it, and it appears that mold or mildew may be forming. Protective sealant is peeling. […]
“Storms this summer have been really hard on it. The wind has pulled panels loose,” Gray said.
The mural on the Sav-Mor building faces Illinois Highway 4, the earliest alignment of Route 66. Highway officials moved U.S. 66 a few miles east in 1931, to the Litchfield and Mount Olive areas.
The mural consists of four panels from Virden’s history. The first contains an early scene of a settler on the vast prairie. The second shows Virden founder John Virden and the Virden Hotel. The third shows of aviator, balloonist and photographer Melvin Vaniman, a Virden native. The fourth displays Virden’s downtown, a train, an old car and a Route 66 sign.
Those interested in helping restore the mural should contact Grey at (217) 965-3156 for more info.
(Image of the Virden History Mural in 2005 by Jimmy Emerson, DVM, via Flickr)