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Discover Mid-America — June 2008

He enjoys ‘painting the town’

Kelly William Poling makes sure visitors to Chillicothe, MO get a good taste of the town’s history. Since 1997, he’s painted fifteen murals in the downtown area that bring history to life.

Visit most country museums in mid-America and one of the highlights will likely be a collection of historic photographs. In Chillicothe, a town of about 9,000 in Livingston County 37 miles west of Carrollton, old-time photographs have been used to produce giant panoramic murals that delight the senses.

In 1997, the Chillicothe Development Corporation, working with the city and the Rotary Foundation, was looking for ways to promote the town. Mural painting was one idea, and after researching the concept of converting barren walls to historical streetscapes, they started looking for an artist. Although he was not yet a muralist, Poling applied for the job and was accepted.

A native of Omaha, Poling said he didn’t begin to study art until he went to college. A baseball scholarship got him into Kansas University, but an injury ended his career. He then went to the University of Arkansas, and finished at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

By the time he left Nebraska, he had met his wife, Angela, a Chillicothe native. They settled in Chillicothe, where he opened an art studio. In addition to co-owning the studio, Angela is chief psychologist at the Chillicothe Correctional Center. They have a son, Gabriel, and a daughter, McKenna.

Selecting future mural subjects was handled over to a mural committee composed of Main Street Chillicothe and Rotary Club personnel, members of the Grand River Historical Society and others interested in the project. Mural painting allowed Poling to combine two of his interests: art and history. “For a time I sat on the board of the Livingston County Historical Society,” he said. “I had access to many historic photographs which were the subjects for the murals I would later create.”

Poling was soon working on a mural of massive size, measuring 20 x 100 feet. The city provided a “bucket truck” to hoist Poling in position.

The subject was Graham’s Mill, one of the earliest businesses in the area. Powered by a water wheel on the Thompson River, the mill ground grain for Livingston County farmers in the 1860s, continuing until 1910 when other technologies replaced waterpower. The mill was torn down in 1944.

“All my mural work begins with small drawings and black & white historical photographs,” Poling said. “I grid out the elements of the artwork on the background with chalk, and make a sketch of the mural using sidewalk chalk before I begin painting.”

Poling said he uses a product called Thera-Seal for the base coat. “It’s similar to cement plaster used in old-time frescoes,” he said. “It hardens and becomes stronger with time.”

He paints with “historical latex,” he said. “It’s UV protected, and is special in that it ‘breathes’ with the climate, expanding and contracting with changes in temperature.”

Since Poling starts with black & white photos, the colors he uses have to be chosen with a mixture of common sense and historical research. “I start with five colors,” he said. “Some are mixed in 15 trays that I take up with me on the ‘lift’ as I work on the mural. Others are mixed on the wall itself.”

Since the mural project began, Poling has painted 15 murals in Chillicothe along with several “ghost signs.” These are restorations of old-time signs used by early-day Chillicothe businesses that were fading into history. A good example can be found at 708 Locust Street, where the Winkelmeyer Mural traces the history of the building’s occupants in signs. Another recreated sign is the Anderson Tire Mural, located at 801 Locust St.

One of the most popular murals is the “Sliced Bread Mural” at 709 Washington St. The mural, showing the town in the 1800s, features Chillicothe’s logo of “Home of Sliced Bread.” The first mechanized bread-slicing machine, invented by Otto Rohwedder, was used on July 7, 1928 at the Chillicothe Baking Company. The invention revolutionized bread sales and changed America’s eating habits.

Another mural that make the town unique and one of my favorites — the Fire Department Mural at 700 2nd St. — consists of three views of the Chillicothe Fire Department from 1886 to the 1920s. At the far right side of the mural, Poling has painted a Dalmatian dog standing at ground level and apparently admiring the view.

“Palace of Fashion” depicts a women’s apparel and hat store that did a thriving business in the early 1900s. The mural uses the French technique of trompe l’oeil (trick the eye.) The scene shows a staircase and balcony that are no longer there. But an observer might try to climb the stairs before discovering they are part of the painting!

Amy Supple, director of the Grand River Visitors Bureau, said the murals have become an important part of Chillicothe tourism.

“In the last two or three years, since the completion of the murals and the printing of the tour map, tourism has really taken off,” she said. “We get between 15 and 20 organized tours each year. In many cases, Kelly serves as a “step-on” guide. If any groups want to get more information, we are happy to send a Mural Map,” she added. Go to www.visitchillicothe.com.

With the popularity of the Chillicothe murals, Poling has been commissioned to paint murals in other towns. “I’ve painted two in Maryville, one in Excelsior Springs, and one in Cuba,” he said.

He and his wife are co-owners of an art gallery in Chillicothe, “Original Artwork by Kelly,” at 443 Locust St. Painted at the top of his building is (what else) a mural. It shows a streetscape of the 500 block of Locust in the 1920s, featuring the “New York Store,” built in 1886.

Photos of the murals and a map showing their locations can be found at www.mainstreetchillicothemo.com or call 660-646-4071.

For more information about Poling’s artwork, call 660-646-6451.

Ken Weyand can be reached at kweyand1@kc.rr.com

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