During the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal created government programs to counter the effects of the Great Depression, and hundreds of post offices were built while the U.S. Treasury commissioned art for many of them. Twelve Nebraska post offices were selected to receive murals. For the Auburn project, artist Ethel Magafan chose a theme depicting local agriculture, and the canvas was installed in the post office lobby in 1938. The post office is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.