Wayne County - Birthplace of the Walldogs

01/25/2025

FYI: one of the 'Alley Cat' mural panels fell off the Inn of the Six-Toed Cat due to high winds. We're working on repairing and reinstalling it. We'll share more details when we have them!

08/16/2024

If you're in Corydon for Corydon Old Settlers, make sure to check out our gorgeous new murals! There are 5 new murals in Corydon and 16 murals around Wayne County. They were painted last year by the Walldogs, with very generous support from hundreds of donors and volunteers.

You can find a map on our website, or scan the QR code next to each mural to learn more about it. The QR code will also give you the location of the next mural on the trail.

Find more here:

Iowa’s Wayne County Culture Trail: murals and historical sites that illuminate rural Iowa’s artistic and cultural heritage “Gone With the Wind” mural pre-installation - see it at the restored Art Deco-style Wayne Theatre If you like art, you’ll love spending a day touring 16 murals in Wayn...

01/13/2024

It’s a beautiful day to see some murals in downtown Allerton, Iowa! 🥶

(note: travel not recommended anywhere in the county, including Allerton…the drifts are crazy!)

11/23/2023

If you’re in Wayne County for the holidays and want to see the new Walldogs murals, here’s a map! We recommend starting in Corydon, and then going clockwise to Promise City, Seymour, Allerton, Clio, Lineville, Humeston, Millerton, and back to Corydon. But you can go in any order!

Full website coming in the next few weeks!

09/18/2023

The "Jesse James Robbery" mural has been installed on the back (west side) of the Wayne Theatre! This mural commemorates the 1871 robbery of the Ocobock Bank in Corydon by the infamous Jesse James Gang.

The mural also includes a reference to the beloved "Jesse James Days" celebration that was previously held in Corydon, since the faces of some of the characters in the mural are inspired by photos of Corydon's reenactments.

The "Jesse James Robbery" mural was designed by Ben and Joe Diaz of Pontiac, Illinois. They were "Wallpuppies" (the nickname for children at a Walldogs event) in Allerton in 1993, and they came back to Wayne County as project leads for the 30th anniversary festival.

We also installed the "Wallpuppies" murals from the Wayne County Mural Festival on the back of the theatre, underneath the Jesse James mural. We'll share more about the kids' murals in a future post!

09/15/2023

The "Allerton Chautauqua" mural has been installed at Allerton City Hall! It commemorates Allerton's famous Chautauquas - a yearly gathering of famous speakers and guests covering a wide variety of educational and social topics and entertainment in the early 1900s. It was designed by Brent Logan of Dubuque, Iowa.

This weekend is a perfect time to come out to Allerton and see all five Allerton murals (Chautauqua, Round Barn, POW-MIA, Coca-Cola, and Alley Cat)! It's the Allerton WorldFair and there are activities throughout the weekend. The Old Time Soda Fountain, Allerton, Iowa is open all day Saturday! And The Round Barn, one mile straight east of Allerton, is open Saturday and Sunday as part of the statewide Iowa Barn Foundation 2023 Fall All-State Barn Tour Sept 16-17. Check out the murals and then have fun with all the other activities Allerton has to offer this weekend!

You can see the Allerton Chautauqua mural at Allerton City Hall: 120 N Central Ave, Allerton, IA 50008

09/14/2023

The “100 Years of Batteries” mural has been installed on the east side of the Corydon Bandstand! The mural is inspired by the long history of battery manufacturing in Wayne County, Iowa, and the huge impact that Gibbs Battery, Voltmaster, and now East Penn have had in our community. The mural was designed by the “Wingnuts” (Eric Skinner, Russell Kelly, and Sonny Franks) and painted by the Walldogs.

You can find this mural at the bandstand in the Wayne County Courthouse lawn - 100 N Lafayette St, Corydon, IA 50060.

You’re also invited to a “100 Years of Batteries” celebration on Saturday, October 7! Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County will have a grand opening of their new batteries exhibit during their Pioneer Day (10am - 4pm), and East Penn will also have an open house from 10am - 2pm.

Finally - the plaques that were previously on the bandstand will be reinstalled next to the new mural so that they will still be visible for future generations! We’re keeping them safe until we have the right mounting hardware to reinstall them.

09/12/2023

The “Alley Cat” mural has been installed on the south side of the Inn of the Six-Toed Cat in Allerton! It’s a new version of an original 1993 mural, both of which were designed by David Butler and painted by the Walldogs. This one is pretty unique because you can still see the original version on the small building behind the hotel - but the updated version will be here for many new people to see and enjoy.

You can find it at 200 N Central Ave, Allerton, IA 50008. More murals coming soon!

09/09/2023

The "Eagle, Flag, and Fireworks" mural has been installed in Lineville, Iowa! It recognizes Lineville's status as the oldest town in Wayne County and is a gorgeous new sign to welcome people to Lineville and Iowa!

This gorgeous design by Scott Lindley can be found on the north side of the Lineville square (approximately 102 W 3rd St, Lineville, IA 50147).

09/09/2023

The “Inez Voyce” mural has been installed in Seymour, Iowa! Inez was a Seymour High School graduate who enlisted in the Navy WAVES during World War II. After the war, she was recruited to a women’s professional baseball league and became one of the stars of the women’s baseball era.

The mural was designed by Crystal White of Brooklyn, NY, and it looks fantastic on the Snider Building in Seymour. You can see it at 200 N 4th St, Seymour, IA 52590.

09/08/2023

The beloved Round Barn mural has returned to Allerton! This mural shares the same theme as the previous Round Barn murals on the site, but Bill Hueg (the 1993 designer) and Alicia Rheal updated it for the 30th anniversary festival.

The mural features the same Round Barn built in 1912, which you can see one mile directly east of the mural site in Allerton. It also features the Victorian house that is now at the Round Barn site, and some treasured faces from Allerton and the Walldogs - including Lorena Blount (long-time Allertonian) and Michael Clark (a beloved Walldog who passed away last week).

You can find the Round Barn mural in Knapp Park in Allerton - 100 S Central Ave, Allerton, IA 50008.