Muffler Man
Muffler Man
Brent Murray, the owner of County Muffler Service, started his business in 1990. County Muffler was first located in a workshop on Highway 54 East in Linton across from American Rental. The shop was at this location for about five years, and then Murray decided to build his own shop. The new shop is located on Highway 54 West, across from Dairy Queen. The first muffler man was built by Mike Baker as advertisement for the business. Now the muffler man is a landmark to the business and city.
The muffler man has become a logo for County Muffler Service. The muffler man is a figure of a person made of the following materials: muffler, pipes, and other materials from the shop. There has been more than one muffler man as others have been stolen. Murray and Terry Astleford, an employee of County Muffler, constructed the last two muffler men that were used. The very first muffler man had a dog made of a muffler and pipe also.
The location of the muffler man has moved from place to place. A total of three men have been made throughout the seventeen years that the business has been open. The first two were located at the old location of the building. The current man is located at the new shop.
The first muffler man was constructed to serve as a logo for County Muffler when it first opened. As years past, the logo became very popular. When the first man was taken, the workers decided to build another to help promote the business. When the second one was taken, they decided to build a third one. This one was almost stolen, but luckily the concrete was strong enough to keep him at home. They decided to retire the muffler man due to so many problems with theft. At the new location when they moved, it took many years before they decided to set the man back out for advertisement.
Many ask why the muffler man came about for the business. At first the workers thought it would help advertise for the company. Then they realized it just did not do that but also was very popular item to talk about. The kids also enjoyed the muffler man. The muffler man has become a very important part of the business. People cannot think of the business and not think of the muffler man.
This information was used with permission from the Linton-Stockton School Corporation.
