 The first mural, painted in 2001, portrays the first Model T in Cuba, which was owned by A.J. Barnett, the first cashier of Peoples Bank. Mr. Barnett was also mayor of Cuba for ten years. The first city lighting system was installed during his first term in 1922. Peoples Bank funded this mural in honor of their 100th anniversary. Our second mural pictures 1900s apple picking, which fueled the shipment of apples in barrels. At one time, this was a major industry in Cuba. Trains shipped apples throughout the U.S. McGinnis Wood Products, a local industry, funded this two-sided mural. The third mural illustrates the "Blue Bonnet," a Frisco train, which served Cuba during World War II and earlier. During W.W.II, Cuba had several Gold Star Boys who lost their lives. Their faces are used in the windows of the train. The wall for this mural is over 150 feet long, and the mural is extraordinary in its depth and patriotic feeling. Although this mural was planned before the events of September 11, it helped our community deal with the emotions of the event and put events in historical perspective. A local, anonymous donor and MEPCO, a local industry, funded the mural. There are also other smaller donors involved, including the Missouri Arts Council. The fourth mural, and the first one painted in 2002, involves a scene from 1940. When Senator Harry S Truman campaigned for reelection on the steps of the adjacent building in a close 1940 primary in Cuba, two local Democratic committeemen Frank Askins, Sr. and Harvey Taff were his only listeners. As people kept hurrying past him, Truman asked why they were not stopping to listen. He was told that they were going to the Homecoming, which is what the fair was called then. He said, "Well, let's go to the Homecoming too." Picking up the Coca-Cola box on which he stood, Truman followed them to the fair. Local legend had it that he had to collect gas money after his speech so that he could drive on to the next stop. Truman later became the 32nd President of the United States. Major donors on this project were Dana Brake Parts, Inc, Fidelity Telephone, and Mullally Distributing Co., Inc. The fifth mural chronicles a September 4, 1928 account in the Muskogee Times-Democrat. Amelia Earhart was reported to have left Scott Field in Belleville, Illinois in her Avro plane, with a destination of Kansas City or Muskogee, in route to Los Angeles. She was later forced down outside of Cuba. No great damage was reported, and she was expected to continue her journey. Thus the destiny of the first woman to fly across the Atlantic and the small town of Cuba, Missouri crossed. The sixth mural, painted in 2003, depicts scenes from the life of businessman Al West Sr., who was elected mayor in 1946 for a term of two years and later reelected five times, making him mayor until 1956. During his term as mayor, the city purchased the light and power system from Sho-Me Power company in order to have working capital to run the city. All the previously dirt and gravel surfaced city streets were paved with asphalt and named and marked. Other infrastructures were modernized. After W.W.II, West was also a booster of the local grape industry, as well other area industries. The West family sponsored this mural in honor of Al West, Sr.. The seventh mural depicts scenes from what was called Prosperity Corner, which originally occupied the site of the what is now Hayes Shoe Store. This mural illustrates business and social scenes of the early 1900s. This mural is placed within Cuba's Uptown Historical District. Cuba received a Community Block Grant to revitalize this area. The eighth mural, painted in 2004, recreates the look of the 1948 Roberts-Judson Lumber Company Millworks Building. The saying "measure twice, cut once," was the rule when longtime employee Francis Nixon worked there for 54 years. The building was the site of custom woodworking and sheet metal production that created quality products for the community. Roberts-Judson remains one of the oldest continuing businesses in Cuba. The ninth mural, painted in 2004, is Viva Cuba's vintage river mural, The River, depicts the use of the river as a source of recreation, beauty, and transportation. Since Missouri is a form of the Indian word Missou-ly meaning canoe, it is an appropriate subject for the mural. During the 20s-40s many river resorts flourished along the river. The river was also used to transport logs to market. The mural sponsored by the Bass family of Steelville reflects their heritage as members of Meramec, Huzzah, and Courtois river families who made their living and enjoyed the recreation along the river. The tenth mural, painted in 2005, is actually a series of nine panels covering four buildings on Buchanan Street that depict the Civil War battle at Fort Davidson in Pilot Knob, Missouri in September 1864. The murals also depict the retreat of Union General Thomas Ewing's troops and the pursuit mounted by Confederate General Sterling Price's troops. The subsequent chase and conflicts at the Huzzah River, Cuba, and Leasburg covered 66 miles in 39 hours and are portrayed in the murals. The Civil War series was a joint project between Viva Cuba, and 15 year-old Chip Lange, a young Civil War buff and re-enactor, as part of his Eagle Scout project. Chip Lange was involved in fundraising, which was matched by Viva Cuba, researching, and preparing for the mural. To honor Chip's role in the mural, artist Don Gray painted his face in the Leasburg panel. He is wearing a hat with a red band. The eleventh mural, also painted in 2005, illustrates the Academy Awarding winning Bette Davis' trip to Cuba in 1948. She and her husband stopped to eat turkey dinners at the Southern Hotel along Route 66. When a young, local photographer Wilbur Vaughn asked to take her photo, he was refused. Later, when Davis and her husband emerged from the hotel, Vaughn snapped his photo anyway. A chase ensued with Vaughn pursued by the husband, who was very angry. When the husband fell face down in the mud, Vaughn escaped and developed his photo, which was printed in the weekly News and Review along with a story that detailed the chase. The mural sits atop the Cuba Free Press building on East Washington, which is just across from the Southern Hotel, which still stands. The Cuba Free Press commissioned the mural. At this time, Wilbur Vaughn still lives in Cuba and volunteers at the History Museum, where he can give a first hand account of the events in 1948. Our 12th mural features 3 panels. Paul T. Carr, who also sold Pontiacs from the location, built this Phillips 66 cottage style station in 1932. The site was purchased in 1968 by Bill Wallis and was converted to Mobil that year as well as becoming the first office for the Wallis Oil Company. Bill, pictured in panels 2 and 3, died in 2001, but his family continues his legacy of business and philanthropy. The Missouri State Highway Patrol panel celebrates the organization's 75th anniversary in 2006. As you can see, our dream has become a reality. If you are able to visit Cuba, please allow us to give you a tour of our project and tell you about our murals. Or you can pick up a brochure for a self-guided tour at the Visitor Center, located at the I-44 Interchange. Art cards of the murals, brochures, and Viva Cuba t-shirts are also available for purchase at the Visitor Center and Peoples Bank. We completed our project in 2007 when Cuba celebrated its 150th anniversary. |