PERRYSVILLE — A new barn mural of Johnny Appleseed commemorates his impact in Ohio and America as part of the America 250-Ohio Commission’s goal to spotlight the state’s contributions to American history.
Former Gov. Ted Strickland, representatives from the America 250-Ohio Commission, a curator from the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum and others spoke at the dedication ceremony on Wednesday.
“As Ohio prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, projects like this highlight the stories of individuals that have shaped our state’s identity,” Executive Director of America 250-Ohio Commission Todd Kleismit said. “This mural painted on the side of the Kline Barn features the legendary Johnny Appleseed, a figure closely tied to Ohio’s history.”
Strickland directly addressed the Kline family who own the barn.
“When I saw this [barn], I wanna tell you, Tammy and Rich, this is my favorite. It’s absolutely stunning.”
Mayor Matt Miller presented the Kline family a proclamation from State Rep. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) and Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman.
“This is a great way to kick off our birthday celebration. Visitors from all around the state are going to see this wonderful barn, so thank you for the gift, not only to the people of Ashland County and the village of Perrysville, but certainly to our great state of Ohio,” Miller said.
The barn mural is the fifth to be painted for the America 250-Ohio Commission’s goal of having a painted barn in each Ohio region ahead of America’s 250th birthday.
The mural was painted by Scott Hagan, also known as the barn artist, who painted the barns with the Bicentennial logo in Ohio’s 88 counties in the early 2000s. The design was created by David Browning.
- The first to be painted was the Rice Barn in New Pittsburg in 2024, which features a painting of U.S. Route 250.
- The second barn, dedicated in 2024, featured Ohio agriculture in Fremont.
- The third barn was dedicated in Coolville, and it depicts the Northwest Ordinance.
- The fourth barn was dedicated in Clermont County, and it depicts a scene about the underground railroad.
Loudonville-Perrysville fourth graders came to lead the group in the pledge of allegiance and the high school marching band played America The Beautiful.
After the remarks concluded, guests were provided apple cider and apple-flavored treats from Ohio Apple Marketing Program Executive Director Valerie Parks Graham.
Why Johnny Appleseed? And why Perrysville?
The mural came as a result of an Appleseed exhibit at the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum in Loudonville that was on display last year.
Kenny Libben, a curator at the museum, created the exhibit to honor Appleseed’s legacy and connection to Perrysville for Appleseed’s 250th birthday.
“I wanted to remind people he was a real person,” Libben said.
After curating the exhibit, Libben reached out to Ohio History Connection to ask about barn murals, something Libben always enjoyed seeing on roadsides.
Libben found out Appleseed, whose real name was John Chapman, was already on a long list of potential mural dedicatees. The two originally planned to install the mural last year, but due to budget issues, they pushed it to this year.
“He doesn’t get the remembrance he deserves around here,” Libben said.
Libben said Appleseed lived in the area for 30 years, but never had a formal home, instead he owned land in the area to plant seeds so he could sell tree saplings.
He lived with his friends in the area, including the Rice family, who resided in the White House across the street from the barn mural. The Rice family owned a farm that initially included the land where the barn now sits.
Libben said there is evidence the field below the barn was once an orchard.
“Perrysville was like his base camp, but he would travel all over,” Libben said.
That included to other nearby areas, including Mansfield, Mount Vernon, Shelby, Galion and more.
Appleseed preferred the frontier life, Libben said, so once Perrysville started to become more developed, he headed further west to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he eventually died in 1845.
Libben said people often know Appleseed to be drifter who wore raggedy clothes, no shoes and a tin pot on his head. Appleseed did prefer used clothes and goods, but he did not wear a tin pot on his head, hence it is not included in the mural.
What people may not know, is that Appleseed was one of the largest land owners in Ohio, and a strategic business man who utilized “tax loopholes” that were intended to incentivize frontier land and farm development, Libben said.
Despite his business skills, Appleseed did not care much about money.
“He has been used as a role model from Reaganites to hippies, he kinda spans all political groups,” Libben said.