These walls can talk — town murals tell stories

Exeter Train Station mural by Allen C. Hilgendorf.

By Judy Finkbeiner Johnson

“If only these walls could talk,” we muse, “the stories they could tell.”

Town murals do.

Visit these al fresco artworks on building walls in villages and towns in the area. Plan local excursions to discover what they have to say. Take a camera, a cell phone or laptop for searching info on the web, curiosity and chill vibes to fully appreciate what you are about to discover.

Some murals have subject matter where art and history intersect to illustrate past places, events and people. Others celebrate the natural beauty of their community with colourful paintings of flowers, animals, birds and scenery.

There are an increasing number of outdoor murals installed throughout the region to enjoy in nearby villages and towns, and more are in the planning stages.

It’s best to take time to look not only at the overall image of the murals, but also the details throughout that will bring it to life for you. For background on a particular mural, the artist, and more, Google. Some murals have a QR code to scan for fascinating information.

When you are “arted out,” on murals, a bonus thing about town and village mural locations is that there are opportunities to sip and savour at local eateries, shop in unique stores and enjoy exploring local parks, nooks and crannies.

Lucan’s murals cover a range from its history to formidable sports prowess. On the wall in the parking lot opposite Chuck’s Roadhouse Bar and Grill on Main Street, there is a dramatic monochromatic long mural that visually chronicles the struggles of the people who established the Wilberforce Settlement, named after the British abolitionist William Wilberforce. One of Andrew Gillet’s murals created for Lucan, this mammoth painting takes the observer on a visual trip along harrowing journeys of Black refugees, freed African Americans, from Ohio and later New York and other states via the Underground Railroad to Upper Canada.

Don’t miss the historic plaque and museum behind the Lucan Post Office on Frank Street. Wilberforce Settlement was established in 1829 in Biddulph near what is now Lucan, on 325 hectares of land purchased from the Canada Company creating a community of more than thirty families, including a sawmill, blacksmith, tailor, two schools, and a Baptist and Methodist Church.

There are other Lucan murals, one celebrating hockey, a historic commemoration of the Montreal Canadiens versus the Lucan Irish in 1952. Also highlighted is Lucan’s crowning as the 2018 Kraft Hockeyville with a pre-NHL season game.

In Exeter by the Bank of Montreal, on the parkette’s south wall, is Allen C. Hilgendorf’s image of the Grand Trunk Railway System’s station in Exeter. Check out the locomotive, passenger rail cars and Locomotive 463. An important asset to the community for people, produce, and supplies, the train is about to be boarded by people in Sunday-best attire. There are ladies in long dresses sporting hats and suit-wearing gentleman. Carts and multi-passenger horse-drawn carriages are ready to further the trip of those getting off the train.

By the beautiful beach on Lake Huron at Grand Bend you will find the Beach House, resplendent with paintings by local artists on this project spearheaded by Teresa Marie Philips, internationally known artist and executive director of the Grand Bend Art Centre.

The upper level features a painting of a musician’s hands; his instrument is a guitar. Philips has captured the importance of music with that subject matter, a stone’s throw from the Rotary Community Stage that hosts summer concerts.

At ground level, catch the touching vibes of a grandson and his grandfather making music together on their mouth organs/harmonicas, an older couple nicknamed the “Beach Bums” joyfully frolicking au naturel in the waves, and cultural and nature images.

Other nearby towns with murals include Clinton, Bayfield and Goderich.

After a day of outdoor art and other activities, there will still be time to enjoy a world-famous Lake Huron sunset when the sky is lit by shades too spectacular to be believed, painting your personal memorable scene.