Murals in rural Iowa county showcase its history and culture

Wayne County, Iowa, rests on the Missouri border in the south-central part of the state. It is the sixth-least populous county in Iowa, and 85% of its acres are farmland. Visitors find the lush rolling hills and friendly residents they’d expect, but they may be surprised by its rich history and vibrant culture.

Wayne County is known for being part of the Mormon Trail, where Brigham Young led his followers from Illinois to Utah in 1846, and for its excellent hunting opportunities, large Amish community, and well-appointed historical museum.

A fresh look at history

Last year, many of those historical events and figures were brought to life in 16 murals painted during the five-day Wayne County Walldogs Festival. 

The event was first held in the Wayne County town of Allerton in 1993, hosted by local artist Nancy Bennett. After the loss of her family’s farm in the 1980s, she became a sign painter. Seeing how the farm crisis affected her town inspired her to invite other artists to paint several murals in Allerton, bringing residents good news, for a change.

The group became known as the Walldogs, the term describing sign painters who scaled buildings to paint large advertisements at the turn of the 20th century. The Walldogs now gather in different locations each year, welcoming new artists and creating murals nationwide. 

Last year, to mark the group’s 30th anniversary, 200 Walldogs came back to Wayne County, creating new artworks in each of its eight communities and refurbishing some of the 1993 murals. Artists came from as far as Europe and Australia. 

Sara Wampler, the festival’s committee chair, says the event was a community effort. Each city contributed financially, and many local residents hosted artists in their homes and prepared meals.

The livestock building at the fairgrounds was transformed into an art studio, where murals were painted on individual panels and later mounted to buildings.

A welcome party was held the first day of the festival, and the public was invited to visit each day and watch the artists work. 

“The connections artists make with other artists and the local community is what sets the Walldogs events apart,” Bennett says. “It’s really special to see how communities come together through the art festival.”

Point of pride

Wampler says residents were proud to see their history being painted. “There were farmers I never would’ve expected to be interested who were at the fairgrounds every day, just watching the artists and seeing these stories come to life,” she says.

Since Wayne County was so affected by the farm crisis, one of the murals depicts Willie Nelson singing at the first Farm Aid concert, in 1985. The stylized mural is made up of 36 smaller paintings, each depicting a scene from Wayne County during the farm crisis, including auctions, locked gates, livestock, harvest, and families leaving the farm behind. “This mural has been really moving, because that’s a period that a lot of people don’t want to talk about,” Wampler says. “I’ve seen people walk up to it and just cry.”

Other murals depict a Jesse James robbery site, a round barn, the Mormon Trail, local heroes, and national celebrities who visited Wayne County. 

A Coca-Cola mural was painted directly onto a soda fountain in Allerton, but Wampler says the festival didn’t forget those artists. “The Allerton Garden Club spent the whole weekend in the park serving cinnamon rolls and cookies, and all the food they could possibly eat,” she says. 

Creating a culture trail

While the festival brought excitement to the community, the end result is larger-than-life murals leading visitors to all of Wayne County’s communities and past the farms that lie between them. Wampler says the map of murals is to include more points of interest, forming the Wayne County Culture Trail.

“This also helped us realize we can do big things; maybe we should do a music festival in a few years,” she says. “We may be a small community, but we can do big things.”

Visit waynecountyculturetrail.com for a map and more information about the murals.