Grant County Beacon
October 1995
published by the Grant County Genealogy Club, Marion, Indiana
Did you know that Gas City has a world famous painting?
In the heart of the city is a mural that is listed in the Smithsonian Institute
registry. This mural brings visitors from around the world and must be cleaned by experts
from the Smithsonian every few years.
The mural is titled, " Gas City in Boom Days. " It was painted by
William A. Dolwick in 1939 as part of the Public Works of Art Project, a New Deal program
started by Eleanor Roosevelt and a panel of museum directors.
It is one of 37 murals commissioned in Indiana, and one of 36 remaining. Several
hundred murals were commissioned around the country between 1934 and 1944.
The mural is now part of a book on Indiana's 36 remaining post office murals.
The book, titled " A Simple and Vital Design " was written by Purdue University
Calumet Professor John C. Carlisle and published by the Indiana Historical Society.
Carlisle begins the book by explaining how many local residents are unaware of
their local art treasure. this is the case in Gas City.
The new book has pictures of Indiana's 36 post office murals, along with a
brief history of each one.
The existing murals are in Alexandria, Angola, Attica, Aurora, Batesville,
Boonville, Cambridge City, Crawfordsville, Crown Point, Culver, Danville, Dunkirk,
Franklin, Garrett, Gas City, Hobart, Indianapolis.
Also Broad Ripple, Jasper, Knightstown, Lafayette, Lagrange, Liberty, Ligonier,
Martinsville, Middlebury, Monticello, Nappanee, North Manchester, Paoli, Pendleton,
Rensselaer, Rockville, Spencer, Tipton, and Union City.
Gas City's mural depicts the city during the natural gas boom days of 1893.
JCT