If you step out into the parking lot and look up, you will see the Mural created July 2014 paying tribute to Neville Brand. He was born in Griswold, Iowa but raised in and attended schools in Kewanee. While living in Kewanee, he worked to help support his family and worked as a soda jerk, waiter, and shoe salesman. A much decorated veteran of World War II, Brand appeared in numerous movies and TV shows beginning in the 1950s. During his acting career, Brand was the first actor to portray Butch Cassidy in THREE OUTLAWS and portrayed Al Capone in the TV series, THE UNTOCHABLES. Brand appeared in such movies as STALAG 17, The GEORGE RAFT STORY, THE VIRGINIAN, TORA! TORA! TORA!, LOVE ME TENDER (he was the villain that killed Elvis Presley) AND THE BIRSDMAN OF ALCATRAZ. TV credits included Laredo, Bonanza, Daniel Boone, and the Twilight Zone.
And this theater has historic significance as the only remaining theater in Kewanee. It was built in 1946 by Rude Larens with the grand opening June 6, 1946. The movie was THE GEORGE WHITE SCANDALS with over 900 people attending. First mangers of the theater and now owners, have been involved with the theater for 39 years. In 1984 they “twined” the theater to provide more choices and 2013 went digital.
Across the street and to the south just a bit is a HUGE Osage orange tree believed to have been planted by John and Matthew Potter in 1849, 5 years before the founding of Kewanee. The tree marked the edge of the 160 acres of land the brothers bought that included what is today the business district of Kewanee. In the days before woven wire, farmers marked the boundaries of their property, and often divided fields on their land, with Osage orange trees. They were easy and inexpensive to plant and protected the soil from erosion.
Now look up Main Street a little to the north of the tree and on the side of one the buildings across the street from the theater, one can see the Corn Husker mural, created in July of 2013 in an event that created 15 murals around town. Kewanee area played a major role in the highly popular corn husking competitions that were held from 1924 to 1941. The 1932 National Contest was held on the Peterson farm between Kewanee and Galva with an estimated 50,000 in attendance. Most of the champions used husking hooks made in Kewanee by Boss Manufacturing, which was founded in 1889 to make husking gloves and implements. The National Corning Husking Hall of Fame is located at the Kewanee Historical Society.
The mural that was one block north on the west side of the street is the Kewanee Authors mural and has been relocated on the side of the Kewanee Public Library, one block west along 1st Street, was also created in July 2013. Much to read on this one, but basically it is honoring four Kewanee authors: George Randall Parish who wrote over 30 novels, the Glidden brothers, Fred and John who wrote westerns and Leroy Cyrus Baldridge was an illustrator for the U.S. Army paper Stars and Stripes during World War II.
I needed to be relocated due to the fact the building it was on was torn down. It is now recreated with photos of the mural and a very talented artist!
Take a stroll and enjoy what you see!
FTF GETS A LINCOLN DOLLAR COIN IN HONOR OF ILLINOIS! Part of the SMALL TOWN FINDS GEOTOUR. IF STAMP IS MISSING, LOOK UNDER LID FOR WHAT IT WAS AND WRITE WHAT YOU SEE.