Seneca, in 1938, was a city awakening from the Great Depression; the construction of a new post office was a sign that things were improving. This Colonial Revival building is noteworthy for its lobby mural painted in 1940 under a New Deal arts program.
The impressive mural called "Men and Wheat" was painted by Joe Jones, a struggling 30-year old Missouri artist. It shows a Nemaha County farm scene with a tractor and combine harvesting wheat. After it was installed, the Seneca International Harvester dealer complained that the green painted equipment depicted was an advertisement for his rival, John Deere Company. To settle matters, the artist repainted the combine "Harvester Red" and painted his own name as a logo on the green tractor.
Today, works by Joe Jones are part of collections in major art museums across the nation and at the White House in Washington, DC.
The Seneca Post Office mural is on the National Register of Historic Places.
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