Pfeifer Seed Company by Mark Fair, Anne McDonald and Andy Goretski

One of the most prominent leaders of the Arcola business community at the start of the 20^th Century was successful entrepreneur, George L. Pfeifer. The Pfeifer Seed Company was opened in 1910. An innovator in the hybrid seed corn industry in the early 20^th century, the seed company was one of the largest distributors of seed corn in Central Illinois in addition to being the largest distributor of broom corn seed in the United States.

The Pfeiffer Seed Company was the first customer for the Arcola Phone Company and had the distinction of having the phone no. 1 on the switchboards in the early years of communication. The original seed warehouse, constructed at the turn of the 20^th Century on Locust Street is still standing and is currently home to the Yoder’s Homestead Furniture Shop. As a fitting tribute to the contribution of George L. Pfeifer and his company on local agriculture, the mural was placed at the original Pfeifer Seed Company location.

The designers of the project were Mark Fair from Montgomery, AL and Anne McDonald from Christchurch, New Zealand. The pair worked online to collaborate on the mural design. Anne’s background is in graphic design with early work in t-shirt screen-printing. Since 2008 she has worked for Clarkson Signs in Christchurch. Mark is a veteran sign painter and member of the Walldogs. He was most recently the project leader for the Hot Rod Lincoln mural in Danville, IL in 2010 and is a past president of the Creative Signmakers of America. When Mark was forced to withdraw from the Arcola meet for shoulder surgery, Andy Goretski from Lincoln County, WI stepped in to serve as a co-project leader with Anne creating a slightly different Raggedy Anne and Andy pairing in Arcola.