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Aledo Murals
Aledo's Historic murals help to tell the story of the city's history from its founding in 1855 to its current status as the Rhubarb Capital of Illinois. The murals cover topics including the city's agricultural, athletic, architectural, and commercial accomplishments and civic spirit.
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122 E. Main Street
The Aledo Fire Department was established in 1875. Pictured here is early fire equipment. The fire station was housed in the city hall building, which was just south of the present Post Office. Around 1918, the department switched from horse drawn to motorized vehicles.
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240 SW 3rd Avenue
This mural depicting the Vietnam Nurses Memorial in Washington, D.C. was painted in August of 2018 by local artist Michael Clark, Scott Lindley of Mt. Pulaski, IL, and Nerissa Eichinger of Milwaukee, WI.
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1406 SE 2nd Avenue
This mural is a representation of the mail wagon used by Boyd MacAtee to deliver main in rural Viola. The wagon is now housed in the museum, along with thousands of other Mercer County historical items.
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1406 SE 2nd Avenue
This mural depicts early pioneers breaking Mercer County soil with a Moldboard Plow. The museum includes a large number of agricultural implements, in addition to a school house, genealogy section, Native American artifacts, and more!
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106 SW 3rd Avenue
The mural located on the north side of the front doors of the VFW was painted by artist Bill Hueg and is the famous scene of the United States Marines raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.
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106 SW 3rd Avenue
The mural located on the south side of the front doors of the VFW was painted by local artist, Michael Clark, and his friend known as "Corn Bread". This painting is a depiction of the Vietnam Memorial Statue in Washington, D.C.
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130 W. Main Street
Berglund Cleaners was founded at this location by Swan Berglund. It was later run by his son, then his grandsons and was razed in 1989. Visit the park for more historic details
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138 W. Main Street
Aledo High School students were known as the Green Dragons from 1938-2009. George Pratt was principal and coached football for 17 years. The football field was later named in honor of him. The Dragons won the State Championship in 1998, 2001, and 2002. Player #10 is the son of the mural's artist.
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106 SW 3rd Street
This mural was painted to honor those how have become Prisoners of War or Missing in Action during service to the United States of America.
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204 SW 2nd Avenue
In this mural, the owner of the threshing machine would pull the large piece of equipment to the area with a steam engine. The engine would then be used to power the threshing machine.
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108 SW 2nd Street
In 1938, Irene (Brown) Kimball won the Grand Championship at the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago, Illinois with her Aberdeen Angus steer named Mercer. She was the first woman to win this award. Irene earned $5000 between what she sold Mercer for and what she earned in the show ring. Firestone Farm Service Bureau purchased Mercer and toured the country with the steer.
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117 N. College Avenue
This mural was painted in honor of the Aledo Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2005.
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122 E. Main Street
The Aledo Fire Department was established in 1875. Pictured here is early fire equipment. The fire station was housed in the city hall building, which was just south of the present Post Office. Around 1918, the department switched from horse drawn to motorized vehicles.
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101 N. College Avenue
The Button Building, built in 1856, suffered a fire in 1867 & was rebuilt in 1868. Over the years it has housed a hotel, business offices, retail, and even the post office. This mural is referred to as the Rhubarb Girl. Aledo was officially named the Rhubarb Capital of Illinois in 2007.
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101 S. College Avenue
Aledo native and award-winning country singer, Suzy Bogguss, is depicted on the right side along with the the Roosevelt Military Academy's Administration building and the "Dolly". The left side of the mural depicts the first train to come to Aledo, and young men examining circus advertisements. The Mercer County Courthouse is pictured in the center. Aledo became the Mercer County seat in 1857.
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110 E. Main Street
Hall's Shoes was established in 1892 by Will Hall, an English immigrant. Three generations of the Hall family have provided shoes and service from this location. The shoes shown in the mural are still owned by the Hall family. In the early 1900s Hall's had a store promotion to see who could bring the most kids to the store in a wagon.
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127 E. Main Street
The town of Aledo was laid out in 1855 by Thompson and Willits. The lots were sold in 1856. This is illustrated on the west side of the mural. The buildings included in the mural are on College Avenue, looking south (the building on the right is now Genesis at Home). The east end of the mural depicts pioneers coming to Aledo from the East.
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201 E. Main Street
Drewry's Canadian Ale was a popular drink in the early years of this pub. Drewry's was originally brewed in Winnipeg, Canada. After prohibition, Drewry's was also brewed in Evansville, Indiana. The first case of U.S. brewed beer was sent to President Roosevelt. Legend says that theMounties' image was no longer used after the Royal Canadian Mounties Police complained.