The Gateway and Arts Committee Proudly Presents
Historic Hustisford Mural
About the Mural
1. John Hustis, founder of Hustisford is looking back over the history of the village. He was born in New York, Oct. 22, 1810. He was a lawyer and on August 17, 1837, Hustis staked his claim to 298 acres. In 1839, he purchased an additional 138 acres. He is portrayed with his very unique walking stick. He died September 19, 1907. His family continued to influence the history of the village. At one time he was asked to run for governor of Wisconsin but he declined saying he wanted to devote his time to starting the village of Hustisford.
2. The two-story bandstand is unique in the United States. It was built in 1919 and is still in use today in Memorial Park. Upstairs in the bandstand is the Concertina Club, in existence from 1940-1955. It was the talk of southeastern Wisconsin and when the band played for concerts they always drew large crowds.
3. The farm couple, the barn, and the shed (in the upper left corner) represent the importance of agriculture in Dodge County.
4. Woodland, Fox, Menomonee (east side of the river), and Winnebago (west side of the river) called this area home at various times. The Winnebago native population is depicted in their tribal wear.
5. The Rock River was the dividing line between Native American Indian tribes.
6. An the American bald eagle. There are several nests of eagles in the Lake Sinissippi area today. The artist was inspired by the beautiful colors of our Lake Sinissippi sunsets and wanted to incorporate those beautiful colors in the mural.
See the Mural Come to Life
Mural Location
PATH of Hustisford has announces the dedication of a historic mural on the Gillich Building in the Hustisford downtown corridor, on the corner of Hustis and Lake Streets in Hustisford.
The PATH Arts and Gateways committee contracted artist James Barany, a professor at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design to design and execute the mural. The mural reflects the rich history of Hustisford and the indigenous peoples that inhabited the area before the arrival of John Hustis.
The Gillich Building was a general store and longstanding fixture of Hustisford for many years and remains in the family. The mural is an excellent addition to the Hustisford downtown corridor.
This mural was made possible through a generous grant from the Green Bay Packers Foundation. Merlin Pieper of the PATH Arts and Gateways Committee and PATH President Tanya Lemke attended the awards ceremony at Lambeau Field to accept the grant. The grant ceremony illuminated the vast array of large and small grass-roots nonprofit organizations like PATH, that work all around the state for the betterment of their communities.
Some great connections were made that will assist in bringing more exciting and beneficial projects to the greater Hustisford Area.
This project stems from over 2 years of strategic planning by 20 planning and design professionals facilitated by UW-Extension, as well as the PATH of Hustisford team, over 300 community surveys, and a Community Design Charrette held in May of 2022 with the Hustisford community. An extensive summary report was completed by the UW Design Team.
Through community-based decision making and involvement, PATH of Hustisford seeks to create a community of opportunity through the actualization of educational, economic and recreational improvement and development. Path of Hustisford is a 501c3 non-profit organization. More information is available at www.pathofhustisford.com or via email at Pathofhustisford@gmail.com.