History comes back to Bow - Part II
At right, Julie and Clay Mohr stand in front of the Tom Talbot mural at the Custer County Museum. The mural, emblazoned with the words, “Their life was the land...and the land was good,” was saved by the Mohrs during renovation of the former FCS building some years ago and now has a permanent home at the Custer County Museum in Broken Bow. “This is exactly the right place for it,” Julie said.
Mona Weatherly
BROKEN BOW - Last week a twelve-foot long piece of sheet rock, wall studs and paint was slid into place at the Custer County Museum thus giving a mural painted by Broken Bow native Tom Talbot a permanent home.
The mural, originally thought to be painted in 1965-66, shows the date of 1964 above the artist’s signature.
As covered in last week’s issue, the mural was saved from the trash by Julie and Clay Mohr of Arnold ten or twelve years ago when the former Farm Credit Services building was renovated. Julie Mohr answered an ad in the Custer County Chief that said the mural was free but would be disposed of if no one took it. “I answered the ad on the last day,” Julie said.
Clay Mohr built the cabinet to house the mural. Finances were provided. “A grant and a donation, that’s what’s paying for this,” Museum Director Tammy Hendrickson said. “But I know that Clay put in hours and hours of work.”
The cabinetry was moved into place on Jan.18 and the mural was installed Jan. 20.
Talbot died in 2009. His wife, Ginger, lives in Omaha. Hendrickson said Ginger knows about the mural’s new home. “We want to get it all done before she comes out,” Hendrickson said.
The mural needs a bit of restoration. There are some nail pops, scratches and places where paint has chipped. Restoration will be done by Laron McGinn, local artist and rancher. McGinn was a student of Talbot’s and they became good friends.
Julie said Sue Beshaler of Arnold contacted Talbot in 2009 to obtain permission for someone to touch up the mural. Julie said Talbot died a few days after giving that permission. “It’s in pretty good shape,” Julie said. “It sat in the art room (at Arnold Public Schools) under the chalk board for years.”
Mike Schweitzer, Industrial Tech teacher at Broken Bow, and students Austin Harvey, Coy Griffiths, Brycen Whitney and Nolan Johnson assisted with assembling the cabinet and putting the mural in place.
Final framing will be added once the touch up work is done. In the meantime, the mural is ready for visitors at the museum. “We’re really happy it’s in a prominent place in Custer County,” Clay said.
There are other murals painted by Talbot in Broken Bow at the Arrow Hotel. One can be seen in the Cigar Room at the hotel. According to Hendrickson, there’s at least one more. “There’s one under the mirrors,” she said. “It was painted about the same time as this one.”
The Talbot family once owned the Arrow Hotel. Tom, his parents and his sister, Marilyn Talbot Shinn, once lived there.
Even though space is a premium at the Museum, Hendrickson is excited to have the mural “It adds to the culture and art and the meaning of the town,” she said. “It’s how this town was formed, agriculture.”
Hendrickson also sees it as completing an arc of art. “Solomon Butcher did the photography. Talbot did the painting,” she said.