March 28, 2024

Historic mural ‘is an excellent addition’ to town

Do you see it yet? I do. The Turner Building that used to house Turner’s Appliance and Gift Store has been upgraded on the outside and is undergoing change on the inside. It’s an outstanding new look for the old building. Last year, maybe two, the front of the former MATURA Action building was brought back to its former self, Carroll Chiropractic resides inside. Maybe a year before that, the old First National Bank, on the corner of Adams and Maple was revamped and a new business began in there. Before that, Maple Street Memories rebuilt and restored the old Federal Court and Post Office building. Long before that, Creston’s first electric power plant (Iowa Southern Utilities) at Homes by Dave Long, the exterior saved in its original state.

The Restored Depot remains as the cornerstone and anchor of the town. Trains still travel through every day. In the old days, passenger service was the mainstay for the railroad and Creston’s economy, bringing foodstuffs, supplies, and a myriad of traveling salesmen to peddle their wares. Today, times have changed, but two Amtrak passenger trains still stop and go through Creston on a daily schedule.

Throughout the town, whimsical murals have been painted on the walls of significant buildings, even under a railroad bridge and in McKinley Park. The recent mural painted on the wall of the former Fareway building to commemorate our 150th year of Creston since its inception is an excellent addition for the old downtown area. The people who painted this specific mural may have touched upon a theme we should embellish and paint more of. These historic murals helps us to keep in mind our historic past and the changes we have gone through. History is important to every one of us. Keep in mind the different changes our forefathers have gone through to keep this town alive. We can set the downtown/uptown apart by mixing the old with the new and growing from there.