Monday, December 3, 2012

Monday Mural

The mural, "Jennie Reninger - A Remarkable Woman", is located in Lake Placid, FL and was completed in 2004.  It is 50' wide by 10' high and is on the side of Personal Rehab, Inc. on S. Main.

Jennie Reninger was born in Zion City, IL in 1903.  She lived a remarkable life, working as a rancher, real estate broker, farmer, and Easter lily grower, among other things.  She and her family had lost everything during the depression and lived in a one room shack.  She wrote a column for a newspaper, increasing their circulation by 50%.  She founded the Easter lily industry in Lake Placid from a gift of 14 bulbs.  They multiplied into 12 acres and the Reningers became wealthy during the war when Japan no longer exported lilies.

Someone set fire to her barn and destroyed $30,000 worth of bulbs.  Then a new grower brought in some diseased planting stock that introduced a virus disease that caused spotting on the lilies.  The end of the lily business came about during a big freeze.  Near the end of her ranching days, she bought a head of purebred Brahman cattle that grazed on her 63-acre ranch.  She was given the title "Good Will Ambassador and Official Greeter" by the Maggie Valley, NC Chamber of Commerce, and lived to the ripe old age of 94.

She took a challenge to ride a bucking bull in a rodeo and won $1 for her efforts.  She could take a cigarette out of your mouth with her whip, or strike a match from 10 feet away.

There are 4 things, in each corner of the mural, that represent parts of her life - a freighter, typewriter, bucking bull, and a vehicle.  Jennie truly was a remarkable woman.

Linking to Monday Murals.

20 comments:

Elizabeth Edwards said...

great mural. so cool. what a great find.

hey there chick-a-deeee... hope you are doing well. miss ya. ( :

eileeninmd said...

Wonderful mural and Jennie does sound like a remarkable woman. Glad to see you posting. I missed you! Have a great day!

TexWisGirl said...

resilient woman! nice mural to honor her spirit!

Red said...

Great to see you back posting as I like what you give us.
I always like your posts on murals.
Some of these people lived remarkable lives. Many people would just lie down and cry if all of these things happened to them.

ArtandArchitecture-SF.com said...

What an amazing woman, and gorgeous to boot.

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

I love reading about people like this, especially if the person is a woman. Thank you for sharing her remarkable story.

Brian King said...

Fantastic mural! I've never heard of her, but this is a great way to share the story!

Oakland Daily Photo said...

A fascinating story complete with a mural illustration. It doesn't get much better than that. Like the detail shots you've shown us. Welcome back to posting. And thanks for contributing to Monday Mural.

hamilton said...

I agree with what Red said!

RedPat said...

A great lady!

momto8 said...

an truly a remarkable mural!!
welcome back.

Cheryl @ TFD said...

What a woman! Enjoyed reading about her.
Glad to see you, we've missed you!!

Anonymous said...

A remarkable woman indeed! What an amazing life she led. The mural's pretty good too. :-) I love the title of your blog.

Carletta said...

Nice to showcase a woman of her time!
So glad you came by my blog today. Hope you are enjoying your blogging break.

Andy said...

Jennie sounds like a woman that went through many hardships. I think the mural artist was partial to brown.

EG CameraGirl said...

The artist did a wonderful job capturing her character. I hope a dollar could buy LOTS back in those days as nothing would convince me to ride a bucking bull. :))

Anonymous said...

Nice to see this Monday Mural! A cool one too. Hope you are enjoying your break!!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Hi Linda, nice to her from you, hope all is well in your part of the world. Jennie was an incredible woman and the mural is a wonderful tribute.

Halcyon said...

A great mural. Also a great way to learn about one of our important ladies in history!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Nice mural for a wonderful character!