Main Street Murals

With 25 original, hand-painted works of art adorning our buildings, downtown Chillicothe stands out as a town rich in both history and culture. Make the murals a part of your next visit by taking a Downtown Mural Walking Tour! Let the images rekindle thoughts of days gone by, simpler times and wonderment of how life once was here in North Central Missouri.

Chillicothe has not always been ornamented with murals. In fact, the first was commissioned in the mid-1990s when the Chillicothe Development Corporation recognized a need to bring commerce and tourism back to the heart of the community. Its plan was to turn the community into a canvas and completely transform the streetscape through artistic renderings on barren walls.

The first mural was a depiction of historic Webster St., located on the side of El Toro. Besides dressing up the local scenery, the mural drove a boost in tourism by drawing in people from neighboring communities. In relatively short order, it was joined by more than a dozen others, all painted by Chillicothe artist Kelly Poling. The downtown murals are now considered one of the great treasures of our community.