Post Office or Art House? The New Lexington Post Office’s Mural
NEW LEXINGTON, Ohio – Most local post offices have been a long part of their communities history and the New Lexington Post Office is no different, with this piece of art to illustrate my point.
“Great Men Came from the Hills,” by Isabel Bishop lives above the post master’s door in this small local post office.
“And the mural draws Perry County’s own history and depicts notable individuals associated with the county. And what is fascinating is that Bishop actually researched the local history in preparing for the mural,” said Noel Roman, the historic preservation officer or architec in the postal service.
Bishop painted this mural in 1938 during the Great Depression. Noel Roman explains why artistic projects were being installed during this time.
“So it was a program created by the Treasury Department to get a local artist to compete for these projects,” Roman said.
The Section of Fine Arts program served two goals of the federal government. The first was to employ artist during an obviously difficult economic time. The second was to bring art to the general American public.
“More than 80 years later, people around the country and especially in New Concord and New Lexington can still walk into their post offices and see artwork created especially for their communities,” Roman said.
Bishop took her time to research the local history of Perry County which became the main concept behind the mural. The painting features 13 historical figures who came from Perry County like Civil War General Phillip Sheridan.
“And that is really what makes preserving these pieces so important because they have become part of the cultural history of the communities and especially the communities they were created to serve,” Roman said.
Bishop would go on to receive the American Academy of Arts and LEtters Award in 1943, an outstanding achievement in the arts from President Jimmy Carter, and a gold medal from the National Institute of the Arts and Letters.
“So she was a very known, well known artist in America,” said Roman.
Other nearby murals from the section of fine arts include a mural at the New Concord Post Office and a sculpture at the Crooksville Post Office.
