COMMUNITY ON DISPLAY
“Our Town Mural”
combines Girard’s
past and present
into a treasured
work of art.
BY BERNADETTE WILSON
F
our artists have captured the spirit of
Girard’s strong sense of community and
rich history in a collaborative work of art.
You can’t see it in a museum or a gallery, though.
It’s displayed outside, on the building at the
corner of Main and Myrtle Streets.
“Our Town Mural” is the creation of local
artists Mary Hamilton, Mary Miller, Nancy
Shumaker Pallan, and Eliza Chaffee Wolfe, with
support from many people and organizations in
the community.
Shumaker Pallan describes the 51x17-foot
mural as “a mix of history plus what’s going on in
the community today.”
“We tried to think of things that would shine a
positive light on the community and bring pride
to the town,” Chaffee Wolfe adds.
One of the first things you’ll notice is the
figure near the center of the mural, dressed in his
signature red, white, and blue garb that became
prototype for Uncle Sam. Dan Rice, 1823-1900,
made Girard the winter home of his circus.
Stories passed down through generations tell
that it was common for residents to hear the roar
of a lion or see Rice and his elephants walking
down Rice Avenue to the path that led to Elk
Creek for water.
The mural also includes a depiction of
Girard’s Civil War monument, donated by Rice.
It’s reportedly the first monument in the U.S.
dedicated to both soldiers who fought for the
North and the South in the Civil War. Local
history buffs say President Abraham Lincoln
was scheduled to attend its dedication, however,
the ceremony occurred after his assassination.
History that Even Girard Natives
Might Not Know
The artists all say working on the mural was a
learning experience for them, and even people
born and raised in Girard may discover things
they never knew about their hometown or
its history.
Transportation in and around Girard was
quite different in the past than it is today. The
depression in the landscape near the Girard
Hotel, for example, is a remnant of the Erie
Canal, which passed through Girard. The mural
includes an image of a barge on the canal, pulled
by mules. The artists also painted a memorial
to the Gudgeonville Bridge, a covered bridge
erected in the 1800s in Girard Township that
was destroyed by arson in 2008. On the far right
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