Oswego Lincoln Highway mural honors Boy Scout traditions

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Megan Dell’Aringa opens up Floral Expressions and Gifts Inc. at 67 Main St. in downtown Oswego on Thursday morning, A mural was installed Wednesday by the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition, on the side of the building. The mural depicts the Boy Scouts s

Updated: November 11, 2011 5:26PM

OSWEGO — A new mural is in place in downtown Oswego that honors an iconic American group.

The mural on the side wall of the Floral Expressions building at 67 Main St. pays tribute to the Boy Scouts of America.

The local mural depicts the work of Boy Scouts in 1928 when young men across the nation simultaneously placed markers along the Lincoln Highway. The project involved Scouts nationwide on a one-day effort spanning some 3,000 miles to mark the first paved roadway from New York to California.

The mural is the latest in a series across Illinois in a program sponsored by the Lincoln Highway Coalition.

The project “highlights history and enhances tourism in the smaller communities,” said Sue Hronik, program director for the Illinois portion of the Lincoln Highway Coalition. The Illinois portion of the historic roadway covers 179 miles.

Thursday morning, a local scoutmaster surveyed the memorial to the highway and the Scouts.

“It’s good to pay tribute to the Boy Scouts,” said Dennis Hombard.

He said his Troop 212 is involved in the project of keeping travelers on the right path.

“We teach our Scouts how to identify markers, how to read a map and use a compass,” he said.

Hombard said his troops are told to be ready when needing directions.

“You can always carry a compass and read a map,” he said. “A GPS system has to be plugged in.”

“It’s great and it adds character here. It is a honor to the Boy Scouts,” said Kevin Kirby, as he viewed the mural Thursday.

Hronik said the emergence of cement roadways “gave Americans their independence.”

“They could drive to get to other destinations,” she said.

Other historic Lincoln Highway murals can be found in communities around the Fox Valley, including Aurora, North Aurora, St. Charles and, most recently, Maple Park.