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McKinney's
Post Office Mural
& Collin County History Museum
McKinney, Texas
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The
Triptych Mural Restored and Reinstalled
Photo courtesy Jo Payne – Pierce |
The
triptych mural depicts a scene in 1864 that was witnessed by the artist’s
grandmother on the McKinney Courthouse Square – a block from the museum.
Klepper painted his grandmother into the foreground of the main panel.
In the mural the mounted men were volunteers for a Confederate spy
unit - a group formed by orders from Brigadier General Ben McCulloch.
As the men leave – a casket containing the remains of the same General
McCulloch is being transported to Austin from Little Rock.
McCulloch had been killed in action at the Battle of Pea Ridge in
Arkansas in 1862 and his remains exhumed and sent to the State Cemetery
in Austin.
It is one of the few post office murals based on a particular event.
The painting was moved to the 1960 post office, but after restoration
it was placed back in the foyer of the original 1911 post office building
– back in its former place.
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The
Artist
Frank Earl Kleppler 1890-1952
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Frank Kleppler, born in Plano, Texas, in 1890, entered The Art Institute
of Chicago in 1914. His studies were cut short when he enlisted in
the Army in 1917. His artistic talents were put to use painting camouflage
for the 36th Division in France.
Note: Another U. S. Army camouflage painter was Grant Wood – the
Iowa-born artist who painted the ultra-familiar American Gothic.
In 1920 Kleppler opened an art museum in McKinney, Texas and taught
art and ceramics in the Dallas County school system for 20 years.
In 1934 he was commissioned to paint a mural for the McKinney post
office through the auspices of a Treasury Department program which
was later administered by the WPA.
His work was also shown at the Texas Centennial in 1836. A bronze
bust of Klepper is displayed in the museum next to the mural. |
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building sat vacant for many years, in danger of meeting the same
fate that befell so many other noble buildings. While it may not have
been accessible to the public - it was certainly saved by members
of the Collin County Historical Society who fought hard to preserve
it. |
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The
1911 Post Office building as it appeared before the sparkling restoration.
TE Photo 2000 |
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The 1911 Post Office building is now the Collin County History Museum.
Photo courtesy Jo Payne – Pierce |
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various collections on exhibit include Native-American artifacts from
the tribes that inhabited the vicinity of what is now Collin County,
relics, tools and equipment from the county’s once-important dairy
industry, and even a display of items from the post office itself.
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The
Civil War display in the museum
Photo courtesy Jo Payne-Pierce |
An incomplete list of towns with former post offices put to new uses
include Alpine,
Caldwell,
Del Rio, Gonzales,
Hearne,
Lampasas, Victoria,
and Waxahachie.
The building, after many years of use as a storeroom is now the Collin
County History Museum (operated by the Collin County Historical
Society) 300 E. Virginia St. McKinney, TX 75069
Phone: (972) 542-9457 |
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Recommended
Books
The Texas Post Office Murals: Art for the People |
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