The Creative Edge: All Roads Lead Home in Aurora, Missouri

By Kim McCully-Mobley

“We can only know where we’re going when we know where we’ve been.”

I said this over the air during my brother’s Saturday Morning Shootout Show about a dozen years ago from my perch at Talon Media, a local radio station. Off air, during a commercial break, he told me how smart that sounded and wondered aloud what it meant.

I quickly told him our family story was part of the reason behind it. Every path we take, every person we meet and every lesson we learn becomes part of the fabric of who we are.

We grew up hearing stories about my family’s adventures in Northwest Arkansas. We heard about characters like Angie Paxton, a fortune-teller in Carroll County, and even Cole Younger, who made a believer out of a young version of our great-grandpa.

I’ve been saying those words for decades. They fit nicely with another mantra I use for a variety of projects, grants, research and dialogue where–ALL ROADS LEAD HOME.

The next one is: Your Story Isn’t Over Yet. Writing and storytelling are passions. Each week we share stories in print, on social media or on my All Roads Lead Home podcast.

All of those sayings tie into what has become a larger work: researching and helping create Sense of Place projects throughout the Aurora, Missouri, area. We do this with collaborative partnerships that sometimes involve the school, where we have a strong Youth Empowerment Project program, and through a series of community partnerships that involve the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the City of Aurora, Aurora Walmart, Liberty Electric, Aurora FFA, Sources of Strength and Aurora’s JAG program.

We want people to explore the world, go away to college, shoot for the moon when it comes to their dream jobs and meet people away from here to see and hear what they have to teach them. We want them to learn, grow and discover things they might not be able to find here.

But, at the end of the day, we want them to know that somehow, they will most always wind up back here, whether it’s for a few visits, another opportunity, to take care of some family business or even to bring what they’ve learned back to us to share with others. And, when that happens, they will be welcome.

Home isn’t really a place, despite the fact that we think about houses we’ve lived in or places we’ve loved. Home is a feeling–where you are safe, happy and loved.  

Sense of Place projects are designed to embrace stories, feelings and ideas from the printed page or the digital space to new platforms, such as art, murals, signage, architecture, landscaping, stone markers and more. These types of projects create dialogue, social equity, a sense of belonging, collaboration, teamwork, identity and self-confidence. They are interdisciplinary and intergenerational.

We have created an All Roads Lead Home Pavilion, an All Roads Lead Home Memorial Garden, a series of All Roads Lead Home murals, an All Roads Lead Home flag display, some commemorative stones and even some All Roads Lead Home shirts, socks and jackets.  

The Aurora Houn’ Dawg Alumni & Outreach Center sits proudly inside the walls of an old armory built during the World War II era. When a new facility was constructed for the National Guard on the other side of town, the school district purchased it for a nominal amount from the city. The front portion was used for central office space for 20 years. When those offices were relocated downtown, a plan was launched for us to use the facilities to host classes, events and showcase archives and memorabilia.

Through student and community collaboration, we have created five All Roads Lead Home mural projects. They all help preserve, promote and protect unique stories from our past and collective visions for the future.

Raine Clotfleter, America’s muralist, is our artist and paints colorful creations after talking through the design phases with us.  

The murals depict Aurora’s history from a variety of eras. The first one, located on the north wall of the Children’s Smile Center, celebrates Aurora’s 150th birthday and showcases our mining history, our Houn’ Dawg roots, our need for agriculture and a tip of the hat to manufacturing and the arrival of the railroad here.

The second one is featured on the south wall of Pawnderosa Gun & Pawn and reflects back to the 1800s and the Trail of Tears, the Butterfield Stage, the Elk Horn Prairie and our town founder, Stephen Elliott, for which Elliott Avenue is named. Local artists Diana and Hannah Estes added an interactive component for family photo fun.

The third and fourth murals commemorate our military history, while the fifth mural was dedicated this past summer.

It has the look and feel of a patriotic vintage postcard. The mural is made out of four aluminum composite panels framed locally by James Conran and his crew at Tom Williams Welding south of town. The creation was installed in the heart of downtown on the north wall of Central Offices for the Aurora R-8 School District at 201 S. Madison.  

The airmail border dates back to the early days of aviation in the 1900s. It represents a special spot in our military history as, for decades, the mail was a way for families and friends to communicate with those they loved serving their country.

The large presence of the eagle showcases strength and pride. It has been a symbol for American patriotism for well over 250 years.  

The vintage photo represents the 2nd Missouri Infantry in Laredo, Texas. They were there during the Border Wars looking for the one and only Pancho Villa. They would sing the Houn’ Dawg fight song and often had a real dog with them. A judge from Nevada heard of their tenacity and sent them a Houn’ Dawg for moral support.  

Alumni Center board members include Marcia Sadler, Shannon Walker, Waylon Doty, James Conran, Jake McCully, Scott Pettit, Bob Journagan, Michele Parbury and Jack Muench. Brad Boettler and I serve as co-directors.

Our sense of place in Aurora is rooted in our Houn’ Dawg lore, military roots and the resilience of a community that has had to recreate itself more than once.

We launched a Houn’ Dawg hall of fame program in 2018 and recently honored the 1965 football team for its undefeated, first in state, season.  

What’s next for us? We are working on some projects, benches, a bronze statue, more research and ideas for at least one more mural as once again, All Roads Lead Home.

Kim McCully-Mobley serves as a local educator and historian in Aurora, and is the coordinator for the Aurora Area Affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the co-director of the Aurora Houn' Dawg Alumni & Outreach Center.

‍