A cast stone relief in the lobby of the U.S. Post Office in Morton, Illinois, originated as a Work Progress Administration art project during the Great Depression. Commissioned in 1939 at a cost of $700, the sculpture is titled “Spirit of Communication.” It was sculpted by Charles Umlauf, a young artist from Michigan who was studying in Chicago. The piece depicts a messenger on a winged horse, no doubt to symbolize the speed and efficiency of the postal service. When a new post office was constructed in 1976, the sculpture was…
