100 Years of Batteries - Corydon

Batteries have been manufactured in Corydon for over one hundred years. Battery manufacturing is still key to Wayne County’s economic activity.

Location: east side of the Corydon Bandstand, 100 N Lafayette St, Corydon, IA 50060

Learn more:
100 Years of Batteries

Battery manufacturing began in Wayne County in 1923, when Mr. S.E. Gibbs began making batteries in his garage. In 1925, he and F. Bird Fry incorporated their business as Gibbs Battery Company, Inc.

Gibbs Battery Company operated out of a brick building north of the Corydon Lumberyard, where Hy-Vee is today. In 1928, F. Bird Fry’s son Laurence joined the business, and it was his engineering skill that kept the business running during the Depression and World War II.

By 1938, the company employed 26-30 people and manufactured 10,000-15,000 batteries per year. They also developed a successful side business manufacturing “GB Oil Mixed Soap” – a special soap designed to prevent mechanics from burning their hands with battery acid. During World War II, they had major contracts with the US Armed Services for their soap, and at the height of the war, they were filling 1000 two-pound cans of soap per hour.

In 1951, Laurence Fry and three others purchased Gibbs’ business and renamed it Voltmaster Battery Company, Inc. They constructed a 4800 sq ft factory on the west edge of Corydon, where the battery factory is still located (in a much larger space!) today.

Roger Winslow joined Voltmaster in 1957 and purchased it from L.L. Fry (his father-in-law) in 1972. Winslow successfully grew the company into one of the largest employers in Wayne County, creating a major business that has had a large economic impact on our county. Voltmaster later sold to East Penn Manufacturing in 2006. The Winslow family continues to actively encourage growth and development in Wayne County.

East Penn is one of the largest battery manufacturers in the world and continues to operate the Corydon facility today.

You can learn much more about battery manufacturing by visiting the new “100 Years of Batteries” exhibit at the Prairie Trails Museum in Corydon.

Learn more:
about the art

This mural was painted during the Walldog Mural Festival in Wayne County, Iowa, from August 30 - September 3, 2023.

The lead designers were Russ Kelly and Eric Skinner from Ontario, Canada, and Sonny Franks from Atlanta, GA. As ‘the Wingnuts’, this group has designed and painted murals at multiple Walldog festivals around the US.

FAQs

  • The Walldogs are an international group of muralists and sign-painters who volunteer their time to create community art. They have painted throughout the US and around the world.

    The Walldog movement started in Allerton, Iowa, in 1993. Local artist Nancy Bennett invited dozens of signpainters to Allerton to paint murals in Allerton’s downtown, and the local community opened their homes to host these artists. Since that first gathering, the Walldog movement has grown tremendously.

    The Walldogs celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2023 by returning to Wayne County, Iowa. They have meets planned for the next several years to continue this community art tradition. You can learn more at thewalldogs.org.

  • In 2023, the Walldogs painted 16 murals. They also painted new signage at the Wayne County Fairgrounds.

    These murals included 12 new designs, as well as 4 restorations of the original 1993 Walldog murals in Allerton.

  • We recommend starting at Prairie Trails Museum in Corydon, Iowa. The “Come, Come Ye Saints” mural recognizes the passage of the Mormon Trail through Wayne County.

    From there, you can drive in an approximate circle to Promise City, Seymour, Allerton, Clio, Lineville, Humeston, and Millerton, before returning to Corydon to see the rest of the murals there.

    Alternatively, you can start at any mural that works for your route.

    The entire route takes approximately 2 hours to drive.

  • Check our main FAQ page for more details and contact info.

Next stop

Walk or drive west across the square to the Farm Aid mural.

This mural commemorates the 1980s Farm Aid movement and the farming communities in Wayne County, Iowa, and the Midwest.

You can find the Farm Aid mural on the north side of Redeemed Second Chance Boutique: 102 S Franklin St, Corydon, IA 50060.

For the full list of murals and locations, visit this page or download the map.