Shellsburg in Benton County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Gold Medal Flour Mural
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 18, 2025
1. Gold Medal Flour Mural Marker
Created around 1900 by Thomas Cusack and Company, Chicago
Repainted by Don Wilson of Shellsburg, 1993
Restored by Ed Callan of Shellsburg, 2024, with funding provided by Shellsburg residents, businesses and friends, organized by Shellsburg Area Community Group
Building owned by Janice and Jerry Crowley of Fairfax
To learn more, scan the code at left or visit www.shellsburg.com/gmfmural-qr-landing
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Communications • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 42° 5.648′ N, 91° 52.168′ W. Marker is in Shellsburg, Iowa, in Benton County. It is on Pearl Street just south of Main Street East, on the right when traveling south. The marker is mounted on the Shellsburg Barber Shop building, below the Gold Medal Flour Mural. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 108 Pearl Street, Shellsburg IA 52332, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Iowa. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Shellsburg's Spandrel Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); All Gave Some... Some Gave All (within shouting distance of this marker); The Freedom Rock of Benton County (about 300 feet away, measured in
this page online
Also see . . .
1. Shellsburg's Gold Medal Flour Mural.
Excerpt: Shellsburg is fortunate to have one of the quickly disappearing ghost signs left in existence. These are old hand-painted advertising signs that have been preserved on a building for an extended period of time. Before the days of internet, television, and even telephone, display advertising relied on talented artists and willing building owners. It is estimated there are around 8,000 ghost signs still existing today. Many of them have outlived the product they were advertising.(Submitted on January 17, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Sometime around 1993, Don Wilson, owner of the barbershop next door, took it upon himself to touch up the mural on his own. Using tractor paint and hours of hand labor, Don kept the sign from fading completely. It's
very possible the recent restoration would not have been possible if Don had not kept the mural from crumbling to nothing.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 18, 20252. Gold Medal Flour Mural MarkerThe marker is mounted at eye level on the left edge of the Shellsburg Barber Shop facade.
2. Thomas Cusack (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: Thomas Cusack was a pioneer and entrepreneur in the outdoor advertising industry and a politician, serving as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Illinois' 4th District from 1899 to 1901. Cusack emigrated with his family from Ireland to New York City in 1861 when he was a young boy. Shortly after the move, his parents died, leaving him and his younger brother orphaned. Cusack was raised by relatives in Chicago, where he received his education and learned how to paint, a skill that ultimately made him a very wealthy man. At the age of 17, Cusack established his own sign painting business, the Thomas Cusack Company, in Chicago, Illinois, making him one of the pioneers in the field of outdoor advertising. The business soon grew to be very profitable, leasing over 100,000 billboards and advertising spaces and turning Cusack into a prosperous and influential Chicagoan.(Submitted on January 17, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)In addition to business savvy, Cusack had a strong sense of civic duty. In 1890, Mayor of Chicago Hempstead Washburne appointed the billboard baron
to a seat on the city's school board. Cusack's fervent support of public education drew the attention of progressive Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, who invited Cusack to serve on his general staff. In 1898, Cusack was elected to his first and only term in the United States Congress from the 4th District of Illinois. After his term, Cusack decided to return his attention primarily to his outdoor advertising business, which had grown considerably in size to more than one hundred offices with an annual revenue of over $20 million.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 18, 20253. Gold Medal Flour MuralThe Gold Medal Flour Mural spans the north side of the second story of the Pearl Street Social Club building.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 15, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 50 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 17, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
