Chamber Building Features New Mural Celebrating Community Spirit

COMMUNITY MURAL painted by Claire Morrow was recently completed on the O'Neill Chamber of Commerce building at 125 S. 4th St. The mural depicts the town's heritage.

By Ally Sedlacek

The Chamber of Commerce building in downtown O'Neill proudly showcases a vibrant new mural that celebrates the town's rich history and heritage. 

The mural, featuring iconic images such as General John O'Neill, the famous green horse, a shamrock, and more, has been completed by local resident Claire Morrow, a 2019 O'Neill High School graduate and current kindergarten teacher at O'Neill Elementary School.

Claire Morrow views the mural project as a fantastic opportunity to leave her mark on the town she loves.

“Creating this mural has been a great experience for me,” said Morrow. “I wanted to contribute something lasting and meaningful to O'Neill, and I'm honored to have been given this chance.”

Mike Peterson, former teacher at O'Neill High School and now Holt County Economic Development's Project Manager, has been trying to get a mural painted in O'Neill for a while.

“Claire was one of my best students,” Peterson said. “I asked her to design and paint this mural because I know she does great work and would get it done quickly.”

Morrow has created the logo for the Holt County Vistor's Committee as well as redesigned the Holt County Flag, winning both contests hosted by Peterson when Morrow was a student in high school.

Peterson envisions this mural as a catalyst for a community-wide initiative throughout Holt County, not just within O'Neill. He hopes the project will inspire other towns and communities in Holt County to celebrate their own unique heritage and stories through public art.

“The goal is to get a mural in each Holt County community,” said Peterson.

Residents and visitors are encouraged to take photos with the mural and share them on social media using the hashtag #HoltCounty Murals. This initiative aims to make our communities brighter and more vibrant through the power of art.

A special thank you to O'Neill, Nebraska Chamber of Commerce for allowing us to paint this mural on their building and for requesting the funding from; O'Neill Community Foundation Fund for approving this project; Brian Sedlacek for allowing us to use his scaffolding for the project; Double Play Apparel & Engraving, LLC for allowing us to use their portable power source to run the projector to trace the mural image LATE at night; Emily Morrow, Katie Willis Morrow and Kevin Morrow for helping us trace the image; Ally Sedlacek for helping us prime the wall in hot conditions; Shelby Regan for allowing me to run with my crazy ideas ; Taco and tequila for allowing us to use their parking lot; Terry Miles for using the O'Neill Fire & Rescue truck to “power wash” the building before painting; and to Mike Peterson, Grow Holt County Project Manager.

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