Cuba, Missouri is known as the town “where art meets history” and you can see the spirit of that moniker on nearly every street corner. The Route 66 murals in Cuba depict historic scenes with both local and national themes. Created between 2001 and 2007, the public art in this “Route 66 Mural City” memorializes celebrity visits from Harry S. Truman, Amelia Earhart and Bette Davis; revisits the Civil War; and celebrates the golden age of travel on The Mother Road. You can learn more about the murals here.
On September 4, 1928 Amelia Earhart made a forced emergency landing in Cuba. (Ryle’s Carwash, West Washington on Route 66) (artist: Shelly Smith Steiger and Julie Balogh Brand)
Local banker A.J. Barnett who owned Cuba’s first Model T. (Washington and Buchanan)
Prosperity Corner was the place in Cuba to meet and greet, do business, or pass the time in the 1900s. Originally part of H.H. Tieman’s General Merchandise Store, today the mural showcases scenes from that time period on the side of modern day Hayes Shoe Store. (E. Washington) (artist: Kelly Poling)
The Gold Star Boys on the “Blue Bonnet” train that transported soldiers during WWII. (Washington and Filmore)
This mural depicts Al West Sr. who served as mayor of Cuba from 1946-1958 and was credited with modernizing the city by paving and lighting the town’s streets, extending the water and sewer systems, and purchasing the electrical system. (E. Washington) (Artists: from the Whitesitt Group in St. Louis, MO)
The Roberts-Judson Millworks mural recreates the look of the 1948 lumber, custom woodworking, and sheet metal production business. (N. Smith Street) (artist: Shelly Smith Steiger and Julie Balogh Brand )
History at the 4-Way Mural (Hwy. 19 and Rt. 66) (artist: Ray Harvey)
A mural depicting Senator Harry Truman, and the Homecoming Fair he attended in the area, who campaigned for reelection in Cuba in 1940. (artist: Jay Ferger)
Academy Award winning actress Bette Davis stayed at the Southern Hotel in Cuba in November, 1948. A photographer snapped their photo against their will and was chased by Davis’s husband. He got away and the photo appeared in the Cuba News and Review. (Cuba Free Press Building, E. Washington) (artist: Ray Harvey)
The River Mural (North Franklin and W. Spencer) ( Smith Steiger and Balogh Brand)
Viva Cuba’s Civil War mural depicting the Battle of the Huzzah and Confederates in Cuba (artist: Don Gray. text: Julie Nixon Krovicka)
Viva Cuba’s Civil War murals depicting the Battle of Pilot Knob and Destroying the Fort (artist: Don Gray. text: Julie Nixon Krovicka)
The Rescue at Leasburg (artist: Don Gray. text: Julie Nixon Krovicka)
Not Pictured: The Osage Meeting mural depicting a meeting between the Osage and French settlers led by Auguste Chouteau and Jean Pierre Chouteau (Buchanan); the A Day in the Cooperage mural honoring the McGinnis Wood Products’ 50th anniversary (Mace’s Grocery on Washington Street ).
Route 66 Murals
Location: all around town, pick up a brochure at the I-44 Visitor Center (Exit 208) Cost: Free to See Hours: Always Visible, business hours vary
Val is the founder and head road tripper at Silly America. Having grown up near Berwyn's famed car kabob, The Spindle, and a restaurant with a cow on its roof, her fascination with roadside attractions started early. Today, Val has visited over 300 roadside attractions across 31 states and is constantly on the lookout for the next BIG thing!
Val also blogs about her life, travels, and cats on her personal blog, Choosing Figs.
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