Macomb Murals Tour

At nearly 15 feet high and stretching over 60 feet long, stands a whimsy of colorful display on the north side of the Old Dairy Cafe.

WIU Professor of Art, Bill Howard, along with WIU Art Professor Emeritus, Mike Mahoney, created a dazzling montage that pays tribute to both the history of Macomb and the Old Dairy itself.

Along with vintage pop culture images relating to food, diners and dairy products, the mural also features representations of Macomb‘s old water tower and the iconic “EAT” sign from the town’s much beloved and now vanished Maid Rite Cafe in addition to notable natives such as “Big” Al Sears, General Alexander Macomb, Commander Thomas MacDonough and Monopoly inventor Elizabeth “Lizzie” Magie.

Directly parallel to the Old Dairy Cafe mural is artist Emily Roberts’ unique and environmentally friendly Be Kind to All mural.

Inspired by the C.T. Vivian mural, this positive message took over eight months to completely and was entirely created using recycled plastic bottle caps.

In recognition of one of Macomb’s greatest sons, the Macomb Area Convention & Visitors Bureau partnered with C.T. Vivian Project Foundation of Macomb founder and director Byron Oden-Shabazz and artist and former WIU Professor of Art, Michael Mahoney, to honor civil right pioneer Rev. Dr. C. T. Vivian.

At 18 feet high and nearly 75 feet long, Rev. C. T. Vivian: Life of a Servant Leader is McDonough County’s largest mural.

The work, which is displayed on the northern wall of the 135 N Randolph building, depicts Dr. Vivian late in life looking over the course of his storied lifetime from a young man graduating from Macomb High School and Western Illinois University through his varied experiences as a Reverend and leading activist in The Civil Rights Movement.

He worked shoulder to shoulder with Rev. Martin Luther King and lifelong friend Rep. John Lewis to receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barrack Obama.

Depicting a larger-than-life version of a bookshelf filled with memorabilia, Unforgettable Forgottonia’s newest mural, by artist Bill Howard illustrates the history of Macomb’s athletics, gaming, sports, and leisure. It can be seen of the side of the Sports Corner at 124.

To celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2022, the Macomb Beautiful Association unveiled a mural for the residents and visitors of the City of Macomb.

The 67 x 12 foot mural is displayed on the north wall of Gelsosomo’s Pizza building at the intersection of Routes 67 & 136.

The design of the mural, which depicts a bucolic rural farm setting, was intended to reflect the essence of Macomb’s beautiful community and its many talented residents.

The “Stronger Together” community-painted mural promotes the power and strength of communities’ diversity. The mural is located at Prairieview Townhomes, 405 N Prairie Ave, Macomb, IL 61455.

Just across the street from the Old Dairy at 201 S. Lafayette St. is the Western Illinois Museum where nationally known muralist and Macomb native Tanner Woodford’s “What You Feed Will Grow” is displayed.

The founder and executive director of the Design Museum of Chicago donated his abundant artisanal talents to present Macomb with a composition in his traditionally optimistic and typographical style.

Artist Bill Howard’s tribute to our American Military Veterans on the wall of Western Illinois University’s Hanson Field football stadium.

A new mural at Macomb Amtrak Station, which was unveiled on November, 7 2025, honors local Underground Railroad history and the bravery of freedom seekers and their supporters in the region. The mural, created by renowned local artist and Western Illinois University Professor Emeritus Michael Mahoney, will honor the stories of freedom seekers who passed through Western Illinois on their way to freedom in Canada.

The mural is painted on large masonite panels and features imagery of local families—such as the Blazers and the Allisons—whose homes served as safe havens for those escaping slavery. The local train station was chosen for the mural because, by the mid-1800s, many freedom seekers stowed away on trains through Macomb, making it a powerful setting to tell this story.

Peace, Hope and Love is another mural from WIU Art Professor Bill Howard who wanted to put forth Macomb’s positive message combined with elements of life in Unforgettable Forgottonia.

Nationally known Dallas artist Jerod DTOX Davies created the mural east wall of the Beef-A-Roo fast food restaurant.

Davies, recognized for his bold graffiti style and vibrant colors, combined the Beef-A-Roo mascot with iconic Macomb symbols. The artist wanted to capture the spirit of Macomb and its community, so the mural features Western Illinois University’s Sherman Hall, Macombopoly’s Lizzie Magie statue, an Illinois National Guardsoldier, the Macombopoly game board, the annual Art, Wind & Fire Balloon Rally, and the Illinois state flower violets along with butterflies which were inspired by the Macomb Beautiful Mural.

Davies has completed more than 200 murals coast to coast, including projects for Jean Paul Gaultier, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Dallas Mavericks. His work also appears in New York’s National Black Theatre and even the Marvel TV show “Luke Cage”.