An historic mural that was rediscovered in Clayton three years ago will live on for another day after an agreement between its new owner and the City of Clayton to spare it from a fresh coat of paint.
The mural on the side of 1 North Central Avenue in downtown Clayton was only revealed after a delivery truck crashed into the bar John P. Fields in 2023, causing such damage that the building had to be demolished. That left the wall of an adjacent building exposed, along with painted ads for both Wrigley’s spearmint gum and Borden’s Unsweetened Evaporated Milk. Their exact provenance is not clear, but the gum mural depicts one of Wrigley’s Spearmen, which Print Magazine suggests pre-date the Doublemint Twins. “These green arrow-point heads with human faces, arms and legs sticking through, were turn-of-the-century Gumbys, as popular as the Brownies and cute as the Kewpies,” the magazine reported, noting that they were used in print ads between the 1910s and 1920s.
The mural quickly drew a following. “I feel like people really like it,” says Clayton Mayor Bridget McAndrew. “It’s kind of a snapshot into our history. I think it’s really cool.”…