Hello friends and Hivians. I hope your all doing well today. Today I'm going to share two murals that are located in Bellevue, Nebraska. The particular area that the murals are in is referred to as Old Town Bellevue. The name is given obviously because it is in the oldest part of town.
These murals I show you today show a bit of the history of this area. I find them a bit touching because I have my own stories behind him. So let's get started but first let me tell you that this is my entry into the CCC's Street Art Contest #205 hosted by @digi-me.
This mural is located on the side of the building of a business named, Midwest Equipment & Espresso Specialist. The property is located at 2107 Franklin Street, Bellevue, Nebraska. Unfortunately I could not track down the year nor the artist of this one.
This mural shows the pride and hard work of women who contributed to the World War II efforts in the area. While a lot of men were in the service women also wanted to be part of the war efforts as well. The Martin Bomber Plant is located nearby and back then there would have been posters or some form advertisement similar to this mural asking for the public's help . The illustrations shows women riveting sheet metal in the assembly process of building aircraft. I love the back drop of the flag and the other period subject matter. It just reeks of that era many years ago.
This group of women were given the name Rosie the Riveter. They did this work at this particular plant from 1942 all the way to the war's end in 1945. They were either at the manufacturing pace or exceeding it throughout most of the duration they worked there. A total of 1585 B-26's and 531 B-29's aircraft were assembled during their tenure. These women were the heroes here at home keeping up with the war efforts. It's remarkable what they did and it's no stretch to say they kicked ass!
I worked in the Martin Bomber Plant now referred to as Building "D" on Offutt AFB for quite a few years. The building is old and let me tell you it still speaks it's 80 year old language still. If your interested you can check out a post of mine where I gave a tour of it, here.
This mural is located at 409 West Mission Avenue in Bellevue, Nebraska and was completed in August of 2023. This was designed and worked on by the
Bellevue West High School Art Department. Trevor Brockhaus was the art teacher and five students pitched in: Olivia Manke, Alexis Robert, Chloe McAleer, Esperanza Garcia, and Amelia Escalante. The design was to look like a post card. Interesting fact is they got paid to do this as the business and some other generous donors chipped in on some funds.
I'm not for certain but pretty sure the two gentleman represent Lewis & Clark. They were two explorers assigned by President Jefferson to explore the land acquired by the Louisiana Purchase Agreement. Each letter(s) in the city's name represents a significant local landmark.
The "B" is the Bellevue Welcome Center building. The welcome center serves as an administrative building for the Bellevue Public Schools. It's also used as a sports complex. Next is "E" "L" which shows Bellevue's only bridge which crosses the Mighty Missouri River. It's a toll bridge which was built in 1950 and connects to the neighboring state of Iowa. The next "L" is the First Presbyterian Church which is just a few blocks away. It's believed to be the oldest remaining religious building in Nebraska. Its over 160 years old.
The next three letters "E" "V" & "U" represent Offutt Air Force Base. This base has been around just as long as the church. It's went through lots of changes to include three name changes. It has been my employer for 30 years now. The last letter "E" represents Bellevue University. The college opened it's door in 1966 and is actually my alma mater. It will also serve my son starting this fall 😊 The bottom right of the mural it states, "Nebraska's First City." This is a fact not fiction.
I hope you enjoyed these two murals. They both have great meanings to me for several reasons. Murals can be a great treat for a community. They can celebrate both the past and present in which both of these did!
Take care, stay safe and enjoy what's left of the week. Until next time!
