'Pettis in Paint' details county's history in courthouse murals

The history of Pettis County can be seen and read about in the book, “Pettis in Paint: The Pettis County Missouri Courthouse Murals,” which was published Aug. 8.

The 48-page book looks at the history in the murals of the Pettis County Courthouse, painted by Barbara Campbell, of Glendale.

“There is a very colorful history in Pettis County,” Campbell said.

The five-year-long mural project began with the touch-up of the painting, “Lady Justice,” which hung behind Judge Donald Barnes for many years.

Barnes noticed the painting was cracking and wrinkling, and the edges were frayed. He contacted Campbell to look at the painting and help restore it.

Barnes said that the paintings were meant to be part of the courthouse during the construction, but that might not have been feasible at the time.

In 1997, Barnes decided to do something about the bare panels in the courtroom.

“One day it just occurred to me that it would be nice to have a history of Pettis County on those panels,” Barnes said.

Barnes asked Campbell to take on the project.

After hours of research, Campbell began the murals at her studio in Glendale.

“It took nearly 150 hours per painting, which included research,” Campbell said.

The 36 panels line the east and west walls of the Pettis County circuit courtroom. The panels are 8 feet by 9 feet. They depict 31 historical subjects ranging from agriculture to recreation.

“I had to have a cart made with wheels and steps to reach the top of the panels,” Campbell said.

Campbell would bring the panels to Sedalia in groups of three to five at a time.

The murals read like a book. The oldest history is in the top left hand corner of the panel and the most recent history in the right lower corner of the panel.

Campbell’s dedication to the project kept her painting even with a broken wrist. She broke her right wrist while painting the mural about famous Pettis Countians. Campbell used her left hand to finish the mural.

“The book is very nice and displays the murals in a way for people to study and read the text to understand why they are there,” Campbell said.

The book begins with a mural of the Osage Indians and a mural of Pettis County, pre-1830. The last murals depict Pettis County culture in the late 1930s and 1940s and newspapers published in Pettis County.

William B. Claycomb wrote the text for the book and was pleased with the outcome.

“This book makes the murals portable,” Claycomb said.

The book sells for $20 and for the first few months, profits will go to the Pettis County Historical Society and later to Campbell. “Pettis in Paint” can be bought at the Pettis County Museum, 228 Dundee Ave, and McLaughlin Brothers Furniture Co, 519 S. Ohio Ave.