Shane Hill Sluggers - Clio

The Shane Hill baseball team was a famous late-19th century baseball team. They originated around Shane Hill, east of Clio, and won nearly all their games for two decades.

Location: north side of Branded Design Photography, 426 Main St, Clio, IA 50052

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Shane Hill Sluggers

The Shane Hill baseball team was active in Wayne County from 1878 to 1898.

The original team was composed of boys from three pioneer families - the Whiteleys, Maytums, and Shanes - who had all emigrated to Wayne County from England in the 1850s. The boys attended Shane Hill School, but as their fame grew, they played all over – not just in Wayne County, but in Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas.

It’s estimated that the Shane Hill team won over 85% of their games in those twenty years. Most of their losses came when an opposing team was ‘stacked’ with professional players. As their reputation grew, they recruited other players from Wayne County, including a star pitcher from Clio named Hollie Souder.

Souder perfected a curve ball that was nearly impossible to hit. This drew a recruiter from the New York Giants to southern Iowa, who came in by train just to watch Souder pitch. Souder was offered a five-year contract with the New York Giants, and he played professional baseball for several years before retiring and moving back to Clio.

The Shane Hill team disbanded in the early 1900s. They had two final games in 1918 – both exhibition games to raise money for the Red Cross and the ‘boys in France’ during World War I. At that point, the original players were in their 60s – but all of the original players started the games, with the exception of Bert Shane, who had already passed away, and Dr. Willie Maytum, who was serving in France. They played exhibition games in Seymour and Allerton on Labor Day Weekend 1918, against players who had played them during their heyday – and they won both of their last two games. 

Fun fact: Shane Hill School was two miles north of what was the town of Warsaw, which is a ghost town that has disappeared from Wayne County. Warsaw was at the intersection of what is now 140th St and Davis St, approximately 8 miles east of Clio. Shane Hill School was somewhere around 140th and Fillmore St.

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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 Wade Lambrigtsen from Menomonie, WI, and Niko Alexander from Minneapolis, MN. Wade owns a sign shop (www.vintagesignshop.com) and Niko has worked as the creative director for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (http://nikoalexander.com/).

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

Visit Lineville to see the “Eagle, Flag, and Fireworks” mural.

This mural recognizes Lineville’s status as the oldest town in Wayne County, as well as its old high school mascot.

You can find the Eagle, Flag, and Fireworks mural on the north side of the Lineville square: 102 W 3rd St, Lineville, IA 50147.

Lineville is 7 miles southwest of Clio on paved roads.

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