Marshall Murals

Candy Kitchen: Artist: Stewart McClaren, Scotland. The Candy Kitchen was a favorite Marshall hangout. Started in 1915 by Tom Koutsoumpas, Nick Borglas, Pete Hilakos, and George Hilakos – “the Greeks” it was brought in 1932 by John Radmaker, then in 1944 by Eamer Haugh and Martha Rademaker Haugh who ran it until its closing in the 1970s. More than a place to buy candy, the candy kitchen was the go to by young and old to socialize over a chocolate coke or maybe a 20 cent olive nut sandwich. The soda fountain had tiffany style stained glass inserts and tall marble post and the cozy wallpapers covered with scenes of homes nestled in trees. Lifesavers display next to the milk shakes machines. Many lived in the country and waited in line after school until bus time. On football game nights the candy kitchen was packed and Saturday night was always big with moviegoers.

Archer House: Artist: Doug Hafner, Illinois. The Archer House Hotel is a historic hotel located at 717 Archer Ave. Colonel William Archer, the founder of Marshall, opened the hotel in 1841. The brick hotel was one of the most lavish buildings in the city upon its opening and was built by John Bartlett. The hotel has also been known as the St. James Hotel and the National Dixie Hotel in the past. As a stopping point for stagecoach lines, the hotel was also the city's social center and the first place to receive out-of-town news. Archer was a Republican member of the Illinois Legislature for sixteen years and a friend and colleague of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln regularly visited Marshall, and he stayed in the hotel during his visits. The foundation of the hotel is built of large stones and rock. The walls are 15 to 20 inches in thickness. The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 16, 1976.

Marshall City Band: Artist: Noel Weber, Idaho. The Marshall Municipal Band was established in 1875 and is the oldest continuously - operating band in Illinois at 141 years old.

Professor Leander Alexander Wallace organized the group. Originally had 15-20 members and was an “all-boys” band. The band stand we have today was built in 1929. Most of the materials were donated, and all the labor was volunteer labor to build the bandstand. The band is still all-volunteer, but members receive payments for their efforts. Throughout the history of the City Band, only 10 directors have directed the band, Professor Wallace, Will Rector, Harold Bright, Charles Trefz, Drew Casteel, Herman Dickoff, Vaughn Arney, Harold Ellshoff (45 years) and current director Ralph Stewart.

The Marshall City Band was featured in National Geographic magazine in March 1998 as part of their "America's First Highway" story about the National Road.

Band concerts can be heard every Friday night in the months of June, July and August.

Darwin Ferry: Artist, Michael Clark, Illinois. The Darwin Ferry was established in 1818 by a man named John McClure. Today it is named after the famed author and naturalist Charles Darwin. The ferry has been operating for more than 140 years. Today it is the only ferry left operating on the river.

The main reason the ferry began to operate was to benefit farmers. This was so that the farmers could save time and cut down on their expenses.

Over the years, the ferry has had many operators. Many of the past senators and representatives of the State of Illinois and Indiana have even ridden across the Wabash River on the Darwin Ferry.

Dog N Suds: Artist, Jasper Andries, Amsterdam. Dog n Suds' growth was so phenomenal in the 1950's that one of the larger national restaurant magazines called Dog n Suds" one of the soundest investments in the restaurant field, and one of the best, well-run franchise companies in the country".

Dog & Suds in Marshall was owned and operated by Darrell and Rojean Harlow for 20-25years. Harlow’s at one point lived in James Jones/Handy Writers Colony home, and the home is still owned by the Harlow family today.

Dr. George Mitchell: Artist, Dave Correll, Minnesota. Dr. George Mitchell was born and raised in Marshall. He was affectional known by his patients as Dr. George. Dr. George is the epitome of the doctor who served patients in Clark County for nearly 60 years. He's seen medical care evolve over the years, all the while experiencing the trials and tribulations of struggling to maintain quality healthcare in his small community. Always a progressive thinker and someone who didn't believe that rural healthcare should be sub-par to urban healthcare; Mitchell is indeed considered a healthcare pioneer. He may have come to your home to treat your chicken pox or sniffles, or he may have even been delivering your baby sister. Because you were miles from the nearest hospital, he was rural medical care to you and your neighbors. In his memoir, Dr. George: An Account of the Life of a Country Doctor, Dr. Mitchell conveys his unwillingness to just sit by and watch the health needs of his community increase while medical and other services decline. He, instead, became a community activist, representing rural concerns to the state medical society, organizing the first emergency medical technician teams in the county, masterminding the planning of a regional medical center, campaigning successfully for improved highway safety, and spurring the extension of reliable telephone service throughout his area.

Farming & Ag: Artist, Nancy Bennett, Iowa. Illinois is a leading producer of soybeans and corn, both known as grain. The state's climate and varied soil types enable farmers to grow and raise many additional commodities, including cattle, wheat, oats, sorghum, hay, sheep, poultry, fruits and vegetables. Today, processing, marketing and distribution of crops and livestock products are all acknowledged as part of current agriculture. Farming and agriculture plays a critical role in the entire life of a given economy. Farming and agriculture is the backbone of economic system of a given country.

Gypsy Queen: Artist: Ash Bishop, England. Several years ago there was a gypsy tribe by the name of Cooper that traveled though Clark County on several occasions. One of these tribes Miranda Cooper, mother of the gypsy king died. She was curried in the Marshall Cemetery. When her husband, Matt, passed away, he was brought back to Marshall to be buried by his wife’s side. Other family members upon their death were brought back to Marshall to be buried. Ledged has it that Marshall will never be hit by another tornado since the gypsy queen is buried n Marshall. Her spirit is here to protect the town.

Harlan Hall: Artist: Manfred Didier, Germany. Howard Harlan constructed his magnificent opera house in 1872 on an ideal location that was one block from the National Road, three blocks from the Archer House Hotel, one and a half blocks from a proposed railroad station, and across the street from the county courthouse. The building was designed as a spacious opera house on the second floor with the convenience of a "drive-in" livery stable on the first floor.

In 1904 it was purchased by B. F. Johnson. The building was then called Johnson Hall.

Prior to 1920 the lower floor was modified to be used for retail space and in the 1920's was the Hercules Paint Store. The upper floor near the street was used for storage and the manufacturing of hog houses. A large beam and pulley at the top of the middle second floor door on the front of the building was used for raising building materials, and for lowering the finished hog houses that had been constructed on the upper level. The building was later used for the manufacture of Sane Crystals which was a form of laxative. After some brief periods of vacancy the lower floor became an International Harvester dealer selling farm equipment supplies. In 1954, the building was purchased by the Loyal Order of Moose and became Lodge #1708. The Loyal Order of the Moose sold the building to the City of Marshall, April 18, 2001and in 2008 it was dedicated as the National Road Welcome Center. Today it is home to the National Road Welcome Center, Senior Diners' Club, and serves as a beautiful banquet hall for a variety of events, large and small.

Handy Writers Colony/James Jones: Artist: Anat Ronen, Texas. The Handy Writers' Colony operated from 1950–1964. It was founded in 1950 by Lowney Turner Handy and her husband, Harry Handy, along with Lowney's student, best-selling novelist James Jones. Lowney Handy was the Colony's quirky teacher and mentor. Financial support came from her husband and Jones, particularly after the sale of Jones' first novel, From Here to Eternity. A unique aspect of Handy's approach was to have her students spend many hours simply copying, by hand or typewriter, materials from authors whose work she admired. Originally conceived as a Utopian commune where budding artists could focus exclusively on their writing projects.

James Jones (1921-1977), one of the major novelists of his generation, is known primarily as the author of fiction that probes the effects of World War II on the individual soldier. Born in Robinson, Illinois, Jones entered the U.S. Army and had the distinction of being the only individual who would become a major writer to witness the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor. Many young writers found support at the Colony. Published writers associated with the Colony included James Jones, John Bowers, Tom T. Chamales, Edwin C. Daly, William Duhart, Jere Peacock, Jon Shirota, Jerry Tschappat (a.k.a. Gerald Tesch), and Charles S. Wright. The colony dissolved with the death of Lowney Handy in 1964.

Marshall Lions: Artist: Noella Cotnam, Canada. The history of schools in Clark County Illinois includes a variety of schools through the community. The first schools were one-room schoolhouses. Later the South Side School and the old North school came about.

First high school was built in 1904. Prior to, high school students were taught in the old North Side School. In 1947 the high school was damaged by a tornado and three years later, utilizing the old gym and other small area. Higher educations in Clark County got started in 1852 when Rev. Dean Andrews erected a brick building and organized Marshall College with the help of local supporters.

Since 1948, Marshall Unit Community School District C-2 has provided elementary and secondary educations for children in Eastern Clark County.

Rademaker/Double Cola: Artist: Anne McDonald, New Zealand. John Rademaker was born in 1882, he was the oldest surviving son of 8 children. He had an 8^th grade education and after graduation he went to work for his father’s bottling company in Marion, Indiana. In 1911 John Rademaker started his bottling business in Marshall. In 1910 the business was expanding and he moved the business to downtown Marshall, and expanded again in 1919 when he bought the building on 6^th St. In 1915 John Rademaker introduced the ice cream cone to Marshall with a jack and Jill cone. In 1932 John and his wife bought the Candy Kitchen. In 1936 Rademaker and sons started distributing beer. In 1939 the Rademakers picked up the Double Cola franchise, which is what they are most popularly known for. In 1946 Don and Marquette Ferris became partners and started distributing their dad’s root beer in 1950. In 1959 the business closed.

Lincoln/Guinnip Well: Artist: Andrew Patrick Henry, Georgia. It is well documented that Abraham Lincoln practiced law in Marshall, Illinois and traveled the Marshall to Charleston Road. There is no documented proof that Lincoln used the well, but it is a logical assumption that he refreshed his horse and drank the cold, clear water for which it was known. In 1845 Joseph Guinnip dug the Guinnip well on the right of way and it became a public well, in 1931 a commission appointed by Governor Emmerson designated the road as park of the Lincoln National Memorial Highway and in 1938 the Daughters of American Revolution dedicated the well to the memory of pioneers who refreshed themselves here.

National Road Mural: Artist: Scott Lindley. The Stone Arch Bridge was constructed in 1831 with no mortar and is still used daily as the National Road runs over the bridge. The bridge is located on Archer Avenue (National Road) at the West edge of town. The Historic National Road also known as the "Road That Built the Nation", was created in 1806 by legislation signed by President Thomas Jefferson. Sometimes called "The Cumberland Road" and "The Old Pike", it was the only road completely built with federal funds.

Today, the Illinois National Road stretches 164 miles from Marshall to East St. Louis and is mirrored by U.S. Route 40 and Interstate 70. Visitors can see where Lincoln’s political career began, marvel at a giant catsup bottle, and enjoy the food, festivals, and fun that make the Historic National Road a relaxed journey through Americana.

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