Shellsburg's Gold Medal Flour Mural
Quick Facts:
Shellsburg is fortunate to have one of the quickly disappearing "ghost signs" left in existence. These are old hand-painted advertising signs that have been preserved on a building for an extended period of time. Before the days of internet, television, and even telephone, display advertising relied on talented artists and willing building owners. It is estimated there are around 8,000 ghost signs still existing today. Many of them have outlived the product they were advertising.
Thomas Cusack was known as the “Billboard Baron”. In the first two decades of the 20th Century, the Thomas Cusack Company was the leading outdoor advertising firm in the United States. Cusack established his own sign painting business when he was only 17 years old. He discovered early in his career that he could transform the bare, dead walls of buildings into colorful enticing signs…. and make a lot of money doing it! As one of only a few outdoor advertising pioneers, Cusack's influence on the city of Chicago rose quickly.
- Hand painted advertising sign, painted around 1900
- Originally painted by Thomas Cusack Company, Chicago
- Touched up by Don Wilson of Shellsburg, 1993
- Restoration by Ed Callan Signs of Shellsburg, 2024
Shellsburg is fortunate to have one of the quickly disappearing "ghost signs" left in existence. These are old hand-painted advertising signs that have been preserved on a building for an extended period of time. Before the days of internet, television, and even telephone, display advertising relied on talented artists and willing building owners. It is estimated there are around 8,000 ghost signs still existing today. Many of them have outlived the product they were advertising.
Thomas Cusack was known as the “Billboard Baron”. In the first two decades of the 20th Century, the Thomas Cusack Company was the leading outdoor advertising firm in the United States. Cusack established his own sign painting business when he was only 17 years old. He discovered early in his career that he could transform the bare, dead walls of buildings into colorful enticing signs…. and make a lot of money doing it! As one of only a few outdoor advertising pioneers, Cusack's influence on the city of Chicago rose quickly.
Sometime around 1993, Don Wilson, owner of the barbershop next door, took it upon himself to touch up the mural on his own. Using tractor paint and hours of hand labor, Don kept the sign from fading completely. It's very possible the recent restoration would not have been possible if Don had not kept the mural from crumbling to nothing.
It’s taken five years of planning, but the historic Gold Medal Flour mural in the Shellsburg business district has now been restored. Shellsburg Area Community Group (SACG) wanted to take steps to protect and restore the mural because it’s an important part of the community’s history and culture. A professional restoration group in Centerville, Iowa, called Wall Dogs was consulted and provide an estimate. It was clear funds would need to be raised. General Mills, the company behind Gold Medal Flour, was approached, but not interested in assisting. Community fund raising was accomplished via a targeted mailing to Shellsburg residents and alumni, media coverage, a small grant, a GoFundMe account and collaboration with Millstream Brewing for the release of a Shellsburg branded beer called “Pacesetter”, with many of the local vendors contributing a portion of the sales to SACG for this project.
The building owners, Janice and Jerry Crowley, were committed to saving the mural. Plans evolved and the original intention of using Wall Dogs to complete the work shifted when a local businessman, Ed Callan, stepped forward with a bid. Shellsburg residents and businesses came through and the needed amount of money was raised. The first step, tuckpointing, was funded by the building owners and was performed by Tom Digman Masonry of Shellsburg. Artwork restoration immediately followed and took about a week to finish. The restoration is an accomplishment for the community and conveys to everyone a sense of pride that is shared by our residents, businesses and alumni. We wish to thank everyone who contributed to this effort!
Tier 1 Donors ($1000 and over) - 2 Donors
Tier 2 Donors ($500 to $999) - 12 Donors
Tier 3 Donors (Under 500) - 32 Donors
Complete list of donors: www.shellsburgareacommunitygroup.com/gmf-mural.html
It’s taken five years of planning, but the historic Gold Medal Flour mural in the Shellsburg business district has now been restored. Shellsburg Area Community Group (SACG) wanted to take steps to protect and restore the mural because it’s an important part of the community’s history and culture. A professional restoration group in Centerville, Iowa, called Wall Dogs was consulted and provide an estimate. It was clear funds would need to be raised. General Mills, the company behind Gold Medal Flour, was approached, but not interested in assisting. Community fund raising was accomplished via a targeted mailing to Shellsburg residents and alumni, media coverage, a small grant, a GoFundMe account and collaboration with Millstream Brewing for the release of a Shellsburg branded beer called “Pacesetter”, with many of the local vendors contributing a portion of the sales to SACG for this project.
The building owners, Janice and Jerry Crowley, were committed to saving the mural. Plans evolved and the original intention of using Wall Dogs to complete the work shifted when a local businessman, Ed Callan, stepped forward with a bid. Shellsburg residents and businesses came through and the needed amount of money was raised. The first step, tuckpointing, was funded by the building owners and was performed by Tom Digman Masonry of Shellsburg. Artwork restoration immediately followed and took about a week to finish. The restoration is an accomplishment for the community and conveys to everyone a sense of pride that is shared by our residents, businesses and alumni. We wish to thank everyone who contributed to this effort!
Tier 1 Donors ($1000 and over) - 2 Donors
Tier 2 Donors ($500 to $999) - 12 Donors
Tier 3 Donors (Under 500) - 32 Donors
Complete list of donors: www.shellsburgareacommunitygroup.com/gmf-mural.html
Shellsburg Area Community Group (SACG) was organized in 2011 as a group of caring citizens with a desire to promote a positive image of the town of Shellsburg and the surrounding community, and to create an exciting place to live, shop and invest. Since 2011, SACG has contributed over $133,000 and countless volunteer hours toward community improvement projects. SACG is not affiliated with the city of Shellsburg except in our desire to affect improvement where possible. More about SACG: www.shellsburgareacommunitygroup.com