"Scioto Company Settler" Sculpture at the Worthington Post Office

Pictured is the “Scioto Company Settler” sculpted mural that hangs in the Worthington Post Office on the corner of High Street and Short Street. The 4’x 3’ terra-cotta relief depicts a Worthington settler standing under a buckeye tree with a pair of yoked oxen. Vernon T. Carlock sculpted the piece in 1939 for the town’s new post office, which opened its doors the previous year in response to Worthington’s growing population and its need for a formal free mail delivery service.

The US Treasury Department supported the piece as part of the New Deal Works Progress Administration (WPA)’s effort to provide relief during the Great Depression by commissioning public work. The effort employed over 8.5 million people, giving them the opportunities to create art, help in schools, or build roads, bridges and other structures benefiting the public. Carlock’s sculpted mural was one of 66 WPA pieces that were placed in post offices around Ohio.