History Galleries

1938 Murals by John Rea in Waterloo, Indiana (8-22-07) : (Date: August 22, 2007) In early 1938, a man named John Rea had ended up in Waterloo, Indiana -- my hometown. The word on the street, perhaps passed down from "old-timers," is that Mr. Rea lived for awhile in a room above what was, or came to be, named Smitty's Tavern (now called the Ketch Kan Tavern, owned by David Johnson). It is said that while he was in town Mr. Rea earned his room & board via painting these five large and beautiful murals -- which have somehow endured the past seven decades. Perhaps I or someone else could find out more about this man named John Rea: Where did he come from? Why did he decide to visit Waterloo? When did he leave? Where did he go? But at least for now we can applaud his considerable artistic talent. When you examine the content of these photos I took earlier this month, you will likely agree that John Rea knew his history, and that he probably had traveled widely. His appreciation of nature and his composition abilities are also readily apparent. By the way, Dave Johnson, who only recently bought the bar, said he thought at first that the yellow tint on the paintings was from accumulated tobacco smoke. But on closer examination he determined the cause to be the yellowing of the shellac applied who-knows-when to (ostensibly) protect the murals. In my view, John Rea was not some hobo with a flask in his pocket who could scrawl something on a wall and have it considered good enough to justify his being awarded a free meal and a roof over his head. Rather, I will state that -- judging from what he painted on the south interior wall of that tavern in January and February of 1938 -- John Rea was a great artist. He certainly must have done more of this kind of thing both before and after the short time he spent in Waterloo. Would that we might someday be able to see such works. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a bit of a fluke that I came to be apprised of the existence of these murals. I had taken photos of the Waterloo Sesquicentennial in August of 2006 and had thereby become reacquainted with Linda (Wallace) Dunn, who, like me, graduated from Waterloo H.S. "a few" years ago. Linda is now the town's head librarian and brought up, a few months back, the idea of my photographing the murals. I spent two or three hours doing so. Lots of lighting challenges due to a combination of daylight and incandescent sources. Dave Johnson and his bartender were very helpful in moving tables and chairs, climbing up ladders to kill and turn on lights, holding cords out of the way, etc. They were quite patient, which is not always the case when people have to deal with picky photogs like me! I shot a few hundred images what with bracketing exposures, changing angles, and so on. I also honed in on certain key elements within each painting, including closeups of the artist's signatures. I have edited and enhanced each picture as best I could. The only way to improve on what I did would be to reshoot the project someday-- at night, after closing, with heavy-duty lighting equipment brought in to effect a more controlled environment. Also, additional physical assistance would be required re moving fluorescent light fixtures up and out of the way, etc. Perhaps at some point in the future, if Dave is up to the task after he does the framing improvements he mentioned, I could once again volunteer my time to help preserve this amazing chapter of our history. UPDATE: To find out who John Rea really was, go to http://fotobyfriend.smugmug.com/gallery/5102744_YYAQQ . ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These pictures may all be viewed free of charge by clicking on the Slideshow link or just looking at them individually. If desired, prints may be ordered off this website by clicking on a pic and following the user-friendly instructions. NOTE_RE_CROPPING: Some of these pix fit better into certain print proportions than others. At the bottom of my "mini-bio" < http://fotobyfriend.smugmug.com/ >, you will find a description of what sizes are available in each CROPPING CATEGORY. The categories are designated by a "CR" number at the end of each caption, e.g., "CR 2." It is best to stick with the recommended sizes for each image so you don't have to deal with cropping them yourself. There are six (6) different "CR" categories. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I believe you will enjoy seeing these photos, but please do stop by the Ketch Kan sometime, if you're able to. There is nothing like seeing these amazing murals "live." And say hi to our new friend Dave Johnson. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Regards, Bob Friend, W.H.S. Class of 1965 (aka FotoByFriend) _ E-MAIL: bobandkerstin@sbcglobal.net 512 Greenview Dr. _ Wauconda IL 60084-2555 _ PHONE + FAX: 847-487-6535 _ CELL: 708-860-1123 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE_FOLLOWING_HAS_BEEN_EXCERPTED_FROM_A_NOTE_BY_MY_BROTHER_JIM: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I remember 'Toots' Smith, who had the place for years -- even back to the 1920s at least. The next owner, also a Smith (Ed, no relation to Toots), died around 1980, and his daughter Cathy inherited the bar. She kept the tavern for a long time, and I lost track of the place about 22 years ago. Bethel Buss, who roomed at our grandfather Claude Meyer's home around 1940, told all about the paintings. Her son DeWayne, called Nug, related the story to me, and I later rehashed it with Bethel, who died 15 or 20 years ago. Here is the simple tale, same as you've been told: A drifter came to town. He told Toots Smith he would paint murals on his wall for food and drink. Toots said OK, and the rest is history. I never heard that he also stayed right there, but of course that makes sense. So I therefore consider it documentation by hearsay that Toots Smith himself authorized the art project." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1938 Murals by John Rea in Waterloo, Indiana (8-22-07)

(Date: August 22, 2007) In early 1938, a man named John Rea had ended up in Waterloo, Indiana -- my hometown. The word on the street, perhaps passed down from "old-timers," is that Mr. Rea lived for awhile in a room above what was, or came to be, named Smitty's Tavern (now called the Ketch Kan Tavern, owned by David Johnson). It is sai ...

Updated: Aug 22, 2007 5:22pm PST

WaterlooSesqui #2_HIGH-RES._FotoByFriend :

WaterlooSesqui #2_HIGH-RES._FotoByFriend

Updated: Jul 07, 2008 4:39pm PST

John Rea, Artist - REDISCOVERED! (8-18-08) : Just a few days after the publication (March 16, 2008: http://www.fwdailynews.com/articles/2008/03/16/features/life/doc47dd2bef99967439304176.txt ) by KPC Newspapers of my illustrated story on the John Rea murals in Waterloo, Indiana , I received an e-mail from someone named Carole Frye. As I read her message I was delighted to find that Carole was the daughter of John Rea’s niece -- yes, there indeed existed a Northeast Indiana connection to the traveling artist who, back in 1938, did those marvelous paintings on the wall of the Ketch Kan Tavern (formerly Smitty’s) in my old hometown! Her mother, Opal (Rea) Frye resides with her husband Jerome (“Bud”) Frye in Pleasant Lake, Indiana. Carole wrote, “…seeing your article in the Angola newspaper has my mom more excited than I have seen her in years. She has called the newspaper, Waterloo librarian, her brother, etc. She even made my dad take her down to Waterloo to see the murals -- she had thought that all of his murals were gone! She just left my house (she lives next door) from seeing the slideshow, and was so happy she cried.” Carole went on to say her mother had expressed interest in having me contact her so Opal could tell me all about her Uncle John. I responded, “Wow. I never would have dreamed that John Rea had a local connection. I figured he was just another guy on the road -- there were so many of them during the Great Depression. Amazing...” I thanked Carole for informing me of all this new John Rea information and resolved to make a trip back to my old environs in order to meet with Opal. Then in early April I received a letter from Opal; here are some excerpts: “John Rea was the oldest of four boys born to Henry Brown Rea and his wife Blanche Trauber Rea on a farm outside of Licking, Missouri. I do not know my Uncle John’s birthday, but I know that my father, William Eugene Rea, was the second oldest, and he was born on November 1, 1900. John and William are buried in the Licking Cemetery, along with their parents. “Uncle John never stayed long in any one place after leaving home. He was born with a hearing problem and was very nearly deaf. He went from town to town painting murals on the walls of taverns, movie theaters, and inside houses. We know that the paintings in other communities (Albion, Wolf Lake, Angola, etc.) have all been painted over or destroyed. I do not know if there are any photos of them… “He did make some framed paintings. I have one as does my brother Bill; both are unsigned, though. John used his skills to paint his way for food and lodging all across the Midwest. The only times I actually saw and visited with him was when he came to Albion, Indiana, to see his brother (my dad) and family. John was not a drinker, but he did enjoy a good cigar.” After reading Opal’s letter, I knew I had to follow through on my plan to meet with her in hopes of getting a better idea of who this once-elusive John Rea really was. I also arranged to meet with Maggie Smith, daughter of the late Waterloo, Indiana, tavern owner who -- luckily enough for succeeding generations like ours -- had the good sense seventy years ago to accept an offer from a traveling artist who wanted to paint murals on “Smitty’s” walls. There is more to be written on this subject, but for now it can be absolutely ascertained that the artist John Rea was not only a great muralist, but he was also “one of ours” -- a fellow Midwesterner who should be forever remembered by those who can appreciate the value of artistry and history. --Bob Friend Native of DeKalb County, Indiana Waterloo High School Class of 1965

John Rea, Artist - REDISCOVERED! (8-18-08)

Just a few days after the publication (March 16, 2008: http://www.fwdailynews.com/articles/2008/03/16/features/life/doc47dd2bef99967439304176.txt ) by KPC Newspapers of my illustrated story on the John Rea murals in Waterloo, Indiana , I received an e-mail from someone named Carole Frye. As I read her message I was delighted to find th ...

Updated: Sep 30, 2008 1:11pm PST

WaterlooSesqui #1_HIGH-RES._FotoByFriend :

WaterlooSesqui #1_HIGH-RES._FotoByFriend

Updated: Jul 07, 2008 4:42pm PST

DCIGS Sixteen Cemetery Tour (6-8-09) :

DCIGS Sixteen Cemetery Tour (6-8-09)

Updated: Jun 12, 2009 10:45am PST