Institution

Artist Debora Palmer led this project in collaboration with over 300 people, WVU Hospitals, and BOPARC. In 1999, artist Laurie Marshall was inspired to begin the "Singing Tree Initiative," a project to make collaborative tree art across the country. Each piece "promotes an understanding of that which unites young people across economic and cultural lines by giving them a common creative experience where they can express their individuality"1. Palmer and Marshall decided to make a mosaic that intended to show that the strength of Morgantown lies in its diversity. "The Singing Tree of Diversity" took over three years to create, involving workshops in schools and hospitals and open workshops with the Morgantown community. Each leaf on the tree expresses what was unique to a particular workshop participant—personal interests and hobbies, civic and professional organizations, images of nature, religion, politics, nationality, and more. The mosaic tree is made of materials such as glass, mirrors, and ceramics.

Location of the mosaic along the Caperton Trail.

Information on the Singing Trees project.

More Info

This intricate mosaic along the Caperton Trail was the collaborative effort of over 300 participants, along with WVU Hospitals and the Morgantown Board of Parks and Recreation. Designed as a flourishing tree, each leaf is unique and represents the variety of people who call Morgantown home. This four-paneled Mosaic is located behind the WVU Visitors Resource Center (1 Waterfront Place # 7).

"The Morgantown Singing Tree of Diversity" Mosaic

From outdoor sculptures and murals to indoor galleries and venues, Morgantown offers many opportunities for experiencing art for free! This Clio tour explores works of art in downtown Morgantown and the oldest campus of West Virginia University. Discover works of art on the streets of Morgantown, within WVU campus buildings, and along the Rail Trails. 

WVU students came together in&nbsp;2013 to beautify the campus with public art, and after getting more students on board, created&nbsp;the&nbsp;WVU Art Movement student group.&nbsp; The project was approved by WVU administration though there was no immediate funding. So, they began painting using donations received and with the help of volunteer workers, they finished quickly&nbsp;Three drafts were presented to the board at WVU before the final design was prepared, an abstract design with symbolism. The waves represent the Monongahela River which flows right through downtown Morgantown alongside the campus.The center star, was created using the Fibonacci sequence of Art. Fibonacci is a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://41.media.tumblr.com/621a1bb95161a2b2ec060bb6300d35d4/tumblr_nok9rcesrF1qg20oho1_500.jpg">sacred geometrical mathematical</a>&nbsp;pattern, one that Da Vinci himself used to use. According to Valera, everything in nature has this pattern.Also among the recognizable symbolism is a woman holding a torch, commonly an icon of freedom and liberty. The torch alone is a well-known symbol for liberty, and the fire for hair on the woman represents freedom of expression in a non-academic sense. The bird on the left symbolizes of freedom.<div> </div>

The WVU Art Movement is a student organization at West Virginia University dedicated to supporting, promoting, and creating public art for the WVU and Morgantown community. They created the PRT Mural under the WVU Beechurst PRT station in the fall of 2015 using WVU blue and golds and river iconography to reflect the location.

WVU Art Movement PRT Mural

Women were first admitted as degree candidates to the West Virginia University in 1889. The small minority of female students likely felt isolated and some of the earliest female alumna have remarked on the inhospitable response from some faculty and students. In response to this issue, the West Virginia Chapter of the American Association of University Women and local suffrage leader, Lenna Lowe Yost, campaigned for a university building for female students. In particular, they wanted a separate gymnasium for female students to fulfill their physical education requirements. When the building opened in 1928, it became a campus home for female students, fulfilling a longstanding need.The building was named after an important figure in local education. Elizabeth Moore moved to Morgantown when her husband, Reverend John R. Moore was hired as the principal of Monongalia Academy in 1852. Although there was already a Morgantown Female Academy associated with Monongalia Academy, Elizabeth Moore and her husband felt inclined to improve local female education and established the Woodburn Female Seminary, which was incorporated in 1858. Reverend John Moore served as superintendent and Elizabeth Moore as principal and teacher. Three or four female teachers also worked at the seminary. During its eight years of operation, the Woodburn Female Seminary educated hundreds of local girls and women.1  Confederate troops occupied the seminary property in 1863, but did not damage the building. Elizabeth Moore sold the seminary to the Monongalia Academy after her husband died in 1864. The same year, both properties were donated to the state. The Woodburn Female Seminary was part of the real estate package that was selected by the state legislature as the location of West Virginia’s land-grant university. However, when the West Virginia Agricultural College (renamed West Virginia University) opened in 1867, female students, including those that had graduated from Woodburn Female Seminary, were not admitted. The seminary building was part of WVU’s campus for less than a decade as it burned down in 1873. In 1876, Woodburn Hall (previously known as New Hall/University Hall) was built on the site of the seminary.On April 14, 1869, Elizabeth Moore opened the Morgantown Female Seminary on High Street in downtown Morgantown. She was the chief owner and principal. In 1884, a university committee inquired as to whether she would sell the university the building to be used as a female dormitory. The Morgantown Female Seminary burnt down in April 1889.Elizabeth Moore Hall displays George Gardner Symon’s mural-sized oil on canvas painting "Flowing Outward and Beyond," which depicts WVU's campus and the beautiful scenery of the mountains and Monongahela River. Painted in 1928, Symon created this piece at the recommendation of Professor John Harrington Cox. Symons, widely known for his New England winter scenes, was a landscape painter that studied at Chicago Art Institute, as well as in Paris, Munich, and London. His work can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

West Virginia University’s Elizabeth Moore Hall has served as a women’s physical education facility, women’s graduate student dormitory, office of the dean of women, and home of numerous campus organizations. The three-story, red brick, Georgian Revival structure was built between 1926 and 1928 to house the university’s physical education program. In 1938, the dean of women’s office was relocated to the building. A 1962 addition added extra gymnasium and classroom space. The building was listed on the National Register in 1985.

Elizabeth Moore Hall

The West Virginia Mountaineer in the official mascot of West
Virginia University (WVU). Selected annually since the 1930s from the
university’s student body, the mascot is a popular tradition of the school.
There is a bronze Mountaineer statue in front of the Mountainlair, WVU’s
student center, which was dedicated in 1971.&nbsp;The bronze statue was commissioned by Donald DeLue, the renowned sculptor whose works also grace the Gettysburg battlefield and Omaha Beach in Normandy.

The Mountaineer is a member of
the student body chosen for outstanding enthusiasm, character, service to the
community, and academics. The mascot symbolizes the proud and rich heritage of
the Mountain State and its people.

The mascot appears at athletic,
community, and alumni events to promote Mountaineer spirit.

Candidates apply to become the
Mountaineer by writing essays about why they want the position. From there,
they are interviewed by Mountain (WVU’s secret honorary) members and
representatives of the athletic department and student affairs. The top
candidates are then invited to "cheer-off" at the next-to-last home
basketball event each season. There, the candidates are judged and the
Mountaineer is announced at the season's last basketball game that is played at
home.In 1934, Lawson Hill became the first official Mountaineer mascot. Boyd H. "Slim" Arnold,
a physical education major from Bayard in Grant County, was the first
Mountaineer selected to serve three years in succession (1937-38-39) and was
the longest tenured until Rock Wilson equaled it in 1993. (1991-92-93).

During Arnold's tenure, he became
the first Mountaineer to wear the now traditional buckskin uniform. Minutes of
Mountain meetings from the late 1930s indicate that a donor gave the honorary
several deerskins asking that a buckskin costume be made for the Mountaineer.
Prior to that, the Mountaineer wore overalls, a flannel shirt, coonskin cap, a vest,
and carried a rifle.

The post and tradition has
remained relatively unchanged since that time. The costume is tailored to fit
each year's winner, and male Mountaineers customarily grow beards during their
tenure. The rifle is a true flintlock that requires the user to become knowledgeable
in the amount of powder required to fire the charge.

In 1991, Natalie Tennant of
Fairview became the first female selected as Mountaineer. Tennant went on to serve as the Secretary of State of West Virginia from 2009 until 2017.

The West Virginia Mountaineer in the official mascot of West Virginia University (WVU). Selected annually since the 1930s from the university’s student body, the mascot is a popular tradition of the school. There is a bronze Mountaineer statue in front of the Mountainlair, WVU’s student center, which was dedicated in 1971. 

Mountaineer Statue

The first Mountainlair building opened on campus on May 15, 1948. The initial structure was a temporary building acquired by the University as part of the federal government's post-World War II surplus property disposal program. The student union building was formerly a recreation center at a Virginian naval base, so it came equipped with a bowling alley, snack bar, ballroom, ping pong table, and, most importantly, space for meetings and social gatherings to occur. Due to the burgeoning student population in the postwar era, it was known that the temporary Mountainlair would need to be eventually replaced by a larger structure. The University originally charged admission fees for many student activities at the Mountainlair; this practice was then dropped in favor of an activity fee collected from all registered students. In 1955, the Board of Governors adopted a $3.00 student fee per semester that would be set aside to fund the eventual construction of the new student union building. In March 1958, that fund exceeded $55,000.During the 1960 WVU campus facelift, a multi-million-dollar complex was slated to replace the old student union. The new three-story, $3 million Mountainlair was built at the current University Avenue location, across from historic Woodburn Circle. Dedication of the new building in the fall of 1968 brought new traditions and memories to the campus of West Virginia University. The Mountainlair quickly became the hub of activity on the downtown campus with more than 25,000 people passing through its doors each day.In 1988, work began on a $4.9 million renovation project that added 30,000 square feet of space to the building. This resulted in increased space and a completely new building front. However, the former portico and balcony were maintained and incorporated into the new structure. The originally outdoor columns can now be seen demarcating the divide between the older and newer sections of the Lair. The new structure also increased the amount of natural light in the Lair as a two-level glass-enclosed food court replaced the outside Sunken Gardens. The new Mountainlair ended up at 220,000 square feet, hosted 10,000 events per year and was utilized by 35,000 people per weekday during the academic year. Following this renovation, the Mountainlair was featured as one of the 22 Most Outstanding College Facilities in the world by the Association of College Unions International.The Mountainlair is now the home to many services and programs that foster a lively student community. The longest-running tradition is Mountaineer Week, established in 1947 by former Governor Arc Moore, who at the time was the student body president of WVU. Mountaineer Week celebrates Appalachian heritage with music, art, food, games, and friendly competitions like a fiddle contest and the PRT cram. Another famous program is "WVUp All Night," designed to provide a safe socializing environment for students during weekends. The program is held every Friday-Saturday during the Fall and Spring semesters and has been a Mountainlair staple since 1998. The University provides free food/drinks and entertainment (laser tag, game shows, astro bowling, comedy caravans, casino night, etc.). The program has garnered attention as a solution for reducing alcohol consumption and partying on college campuses.The Lair also contains the Mountainlair Permanent Art Collection. The collection was conceived in 1968 as a way to showcase the educational and cultural values fostered by a modern university in West Virginia. The Mountainlair Art Collection includes approximately two hundred pieces of traditional and modern artwork. Some pieces are also reflective of the state’s culture outside of the University, both past and present, and have heavy Appalachian themes. Pottery, stained glass, weaving, woodcrafts, quilting, glass works, paintings, and mixed media are all part of the collection. Each piece of art displayed in the Mountainlair was judged and chosen by a committee based on its supreme quality and relevance.

The Mountainlair, also known as "The Lair" is the student union building at West Virginia University. It was built in the 1960s to replace the 1948 student union building. The Lair serves as a hub that combines the educational, social, recreational, and cultural needs of West Virginia University's diverse student body. It provides a large variety of services and programs, including ATMs/banking, copy centers, email/print stations, lockers, lounges, parking, a food court/cafeteria, games areas, a post office, a movie theater, and more. In addition to recreational facilities and student services, the Mountainlair also contains a large events ballroom, various meeting and conference rooms, and many administrative offices of the University. The campus bookstore (stocked by Barnes & Noble), Starbucks, and university shop are also adjoined to the Mountainlair.

Mountainlair

As the turn of the nineteenth century approached, West Virginia University administrators recognized a dire need for a new library building. The original WVU library occupied a small space on the second floor of Martin Hall and was described by the university’s sixth president, Jerome Hall Raymond, as, “a hopeless tangle” where, “the books were not arranged but simply placed upon the shelves anywhere where space allowed.” Raymond’s disappointment with the library's condition was exacerbated by the fact that university departments maintained their own libraries meant for professors’ personal use. These disparate collections often contained books that were already in the central library. Furthermore, the floor in Martin Hall could no longer support the growing number of books and visitors, which presented a safety risk. In 1899, Raymond secured funding from the State Legislature for several new buildings. A competitive auction for architectural plans was held and the Wilson Brothers and Company of Philadelphia was awarded the contract for Stewart Hall, the Armory, and the Mechanical Building – though the latter buildings were razed in the 1960s to make room for the Mountainlair. The Wilson Brothers designed a grand building constructed in a Romanesque Revival style. This style is characterized by wide rounded arches, rustication, and simple expansive planes. Stewart Hall's axial plan is reminiscent of Romanesque churches and the tower near the front entrance serves to further emphasize this association. Construction of Stewart Hall began in 1900. The Caldwell &amp; Drake firm based out of Parkersburg, WV oversaw the erection of the building. The structure was completed in 1902 with a total cost of slightly more than $100,000 – approximately $3 million adjusted for inflation. It is built with a concrete frame covered in roughhewn Amherst sandstone blocks. The roof is tiled in red shingles. The interior of the building features a large arcaded rotunda, which originally housed the card catalog and circulation desk. While a visually pleasant space, the rotunda tended to funnel noise towards the reading and reference rooms adjacent to it. Stewart Hall served as the library from 1902 to 1931, when the design flaws and lack of space caused the library to be moved to the newer Wise Library. Stewart Hall was converted into administrative offices, a function it maintains to this day. In 1972, Stewart Hall was renamed from University Library in honor of WVU’s thirteenth president, Irvin Stewart (served 1946-1958). His administration was responsible for creating the West Virginia University Foundation, Medical Center, and Evansdale Campus. The addition of Armstrong, Hodges, Brooks, and Eiesland Hall to the downtown campus also occurred under Stewart's leadership. Stewart Hall has been restored several times. In 1979, the interior was stripped of accumulated decoration that detracted from the original design. This renovation also returned the rotunda closer to its original open plan. In 1992, the S.E.M. Architectural Firm and the General Preservation Corporation restored the exterior of the building under the supervision of architect Dellas H. Harder. In addition to its role in WVU’s history, Stewart Hall stands as one of the largest and most authentic Romanesque Revival buildings in West Virginia.

Stewart Hall was built between 1900 and 1902 to replace the second floor of Martin Hall as West Virginia University’s library. When the Wise Library was completed in 1931, Stewart Hall became the administrative offices for the university, a role it still serves today. Originally known as University Library, the building was renamed to Stewart Hall in 1972 after Irvin Stewart, a successful and longtime WVU president. Its architecture is an emblematic representative of the Romanesque Revival style. Many consider Stewart Hall to be one of the finest and most authentic Romanesque Revival buildings in West Virginia.

Stewart Hall

As early as 1929, University President John Roscoe Turner and other supporters saw the need for library improvements (the University library at that time was located in the building currently known as Stewart Hall). However, funds for the new library amounted to only $300,000 and were not enough to build the full structure; therefore, officials adopted a design permitting structural additions to the library over time. The first Library unit thus was constructed as a five story structure with seating for 600 students and the potential for an adjacent twin structure with an additional million-volume capacity. In addition, the library was planned as the centerpiece for what was to be a future cluster of buildings — two on the side and one in front. Excavation for the new library was started on January 30th, 1930, and the structure was completed on September 1st, 1931. The total cost ended up being over $450,000. By 1949, the library was found to be inadequate to fit the needs of a growing student body, and students ended up using a makeshift reading room of 170 extra seats in the library's old cafeteria. The new $500,000 addition was started in March 1950 and was completed just before the 1950 fall semester. It consisted of five additional floors totaling 26,000 square feet and 140 additional carrels. The upward extension made the WVU library one of the largest university libraries in the nation at the time. Its innovative and modern design was also lauded as being user-friendly. With larger space to provide services to students, the WVU library was always at the forefront when it came to implementing new technologies as they emerged (e.g. microfilm in the 1950s, photocopy machine in the 1960s, teletype service in the 1970s, and internet in the 1990s). On June 20, 1999, ground was broken for another addition to the library. The project, completed in 2002, cost $36 million and was an additional 5 stories and 124,000 square feet. It was built directly in front of the Wise Library. The original character of the Wise Library was deliberately kept intact even within the new modern structure, and $4 million worth of renovations to return the Wise Library to its original 1931 interior were carried out. With the new library addition, the Wise Library was freed up to serve as more of a center for cultural archives. It now contains a lobby and two reading rooms: the Robinson Reading Room which contains the American &amp; English Literature Collection and the Milano Reading Room which contains the Appalachian Collection. It also houses the West Virginia and Regional History Center, the world's largest collection of West Virginia-related research material. Since the initial library structure was completed in 1931, it was called the University Library, the West Virginia University, and the Main Library. In 1984, the Board of Regents approved the designation of the Library as the Charles C. Wise Jr. Library after Charles C. Wise Jr. Wise was a Charleston, WV native who, along with his sister, gifted the WVU Foundation 4,260 acres of land in Hardy County. As the original Wise Library limestone facade was maintained inside the new atrium, the five different printers' guild carvings from 1931 are still located on either side of the front "entrance." The carvings were specially crafted as a tribute to famous librarians, printers, and presses from France, Italy, and England. The Wise Library has received many gifts over time. One of the most unique is a large bust of Dante Alighieri. The bust was a gift from Italian immigrant Thoney Pietro. Pietro came to the United States as a poor 18-year-old in 1896 and built himself into a wealthy contractor. In 1940 Pietro commissioned the bust from Peter Bazzanti of Florence, Italy as a thank-you gift for the opportunities America and, specifically, West Virginia had given him. Due to delays in transit, the bust took eight years to arrive. The bust itself was sculpted from white marble and rests on a green and brown marble pedestal. The bust now resides in the library's Robinson Reading Room. The Wise Library now also houses the Betty Rivard Photographs. Rivard created a book of photographs called New Deal Photographs, 1934-1943 which was published by the West Virginia University Press in 2012. The 69 photographs that are featured in the library were selected from those taken around the state of West Virginia by the Farm Security Administration Project, part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.  Rivard's photographs can be found hanging in all three of WVU's libraries. Follow the links below to learn more about the WVU Libraries and its numerous art and history exhibits.

The Charles C. Wise Library is located on the downtown campus of West Virginia University. The library gets its name from Charles Wise Jr., a lawyer and former WVU student body president who donated 4.260 acres of land to the WVU Foundation. Today, the Wise Library is connected to the newer Downtown Campus Library. It houses art, historical archives, and rare book collections. Many of the newer exhibits in Wise are affiliated with West Virginia culture, and each room has an Appalachian flavor. 

Charles C. Wise Library, WVU Downtown Campus Library

The WVRHC is divided into multiple units: the regional history collection, the rare books collection, and other special collections.&nbsp;The Center is best known for its&nbsp;Archives and Manuscripts department. These&nbsp;collections include personal, family, and business papers, most of which have a direct connection to the history of&nbsp;West Virginia and central&nbsp;Appalachia. It also includes the University Archives. These materials include more than 4,000 collections that include records and&nbsp;material related to WVU's administration faculty, athletic teams,&nbsp;and student organizations. The Center maintains a&nbsp;Rare Books Collection.&nbsp;Among the rare books of great significance in this collection&nbsp;are William Shakespeare's Four Folios and&nbsp;the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493. The collection also&nbsp;includes historic first prints by leading American&nbsp;authors from Jane Austen to Charles Dickens. The collection&nbsp;also includes historic prints of many of&nbsp;the first books of history and literature that were&nbsp;printed in Virginia and the counties that presently make up the state of&nbsp;West Virginia. The Center dates back to 1930, when the University Library accepted the responsibility of preserving the papers of Senator Waitman T. Willey, a founding father of West Virginia.&nbsp;The library's collection has grown from these humble&nbsp;beginnings,&nbsp;now&nbsp;including over&nbsp;20,000 linear feet of personal papers, photos, pamphlets, business records, and more. The digital collection includes&nbsp;multiple terabytes of digital content, books, microfilm, audio recordings, and more.&nbsp; The West Virginia and Regional History Center hosts changing exhibits and also permanent display cases of objects and works of art. One work of art on display in the reading room is&nbsp;&nbsp;Justice Guarding the Sleeping World by&nbsp;David Hunter Strother, a journalist, artist, soldier, and diplomat. Born in September 1816 in Martinsburg, Strother painted this piece&nbsp;in 1843, during a three year journey to Europe, in which he found himself in a frenzy of artistic activity, producing nine paintings in 12 months. These three years were crucial to the life of Strother, as he yearned for a better understanding of the European artist he hoped to imitate. The painting depicts a sleeping family: a man, a woman, and their baby as a woman sits watch over them. The image creates a sense of understanding that justice looms over this world as its fated guardian. Strother, also going under the pseudonym ‘Porte Crayon,’ would go on to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War, where he would fight in over thirty battles. Strother would spend the rest of his days in West Virginia, where he would die at the age of 71 in Charles Town.<div><div></div></div>

Located on the sixth floor of West Virginia University's Wise Library, the West Virginia and Regional History Center offers the largest collection of materials related to the history of West Virginia and central Appalachia. The center is open to the public and offers a library, manuscript collection, collects, preserves, and provides public access to materials that show the history and culture of West Virginia and the central Appalachian region. 

West Virginia and Regional History Center, WVU Libraries

Born in 1906 in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, Robert Lepper graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1927. Lepper continued his studies in Europe focusing on Bauhaus design, a unique artistic approach developed in Germany that blended the fine arts, crafts, and architecture. &nbsp;He returned to the United States as an instructor at CIT, where he helped establish the country’s first industrial design program in 1934. Lepper It was also at CIT that Lepper taught a student by the name of Andy Warhol from 1945 to 1949. According to Carnegie Mellon’s archives, Lepper “believed in letting students be independent thinkers and use their own creativity.”Lepper created the mural at WVU in a turbulent time in American history, the Great Depression. Yet during this time, the United States saw a flourishing of the arts under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. To put Americans back to work, the federal government initiated a number of arts-related programs. The Federal Arts Project (1935-1943) under the Works Progress Administration is the best known of these programs, which produced some 200,000 works of art and established over 100 community art centers. The Federal Arts Project, however, was preceded by the Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts. Originally called the Section of Painting and Sculpture, the Section of Fine Arts (1934-1943) employed hand-selected professional artists to create works of art in federal buildings, unlike the Federal Arts Project, which served as a relief program. Lepper was among the artists chosen to create murals in Grayling, Michigan and Caldwell, Ohio post offices.From 1940-1942, West Virginia University had the honor of receiving one of Lepper’s murals. WVU commissioned Lepper to depict the state’s history of industry in the new Mineral Industries Building (now White Hall). Lepper’s mural is divided into five areas depicting coal and gas, trade techniques, glass and ceramics, operations that put the finishing touches on manufactured items, and the final commercial products.Lepper was instrumental in the field of industrial design and taught at Carnegie until his retirement in 1975. In 1989, the Industrial Design Society of America awarded Lepper with their esteemed Educator award. His mural at WVU was recently restored and is displayed in White Hall’s G-21 lecture hall. A copy of the mural also hit the big screen in 2004, when it appeared as a backdrop of Spider Man 2. A consultant for the film discovered the mural in the Brooklyn Museum’s book The Machine Age in America, 1918-1941 and found it to be the perfect WPA-style piece for a bank in the movie

Serving as a backdrop of White Hall's G-21 lecture room, you will find a beautiful mural that was produced from 1940-42, for the then Mineral Industries Building. Robert Lewis Lepper, prominent artist, designer, and sculptor from Pennslyvania, created “Study for the Mural at Mineral Industries Building, West Virginia University,” which abstractly highlights American industry. The mural incorporates Lepper's unique artistic approach while complementing the modern style of works created during the New Deal. 


Robert Lewis Lepper's Mineral Industries Mural 

First seen sweeping the nation in 1914, these Coca-Cola murals brightened walls of the most popular, historic, and influential buildings throughout the smallest towns in America. Most of the murals were placed in the rural southern parts of the country, showcasing the reach of the company as well as its publicized values at the time. Hand painted murals were the billboards of the time and became embedded in urban landscaping.&nbsp; <blockquote>"The signs are a part of an old town and an old city. When you can bring them back, you bring back part of that time to today. It instills a lot of pride. It makes you smile. It makes you remember the days of the old soda fountains where you would go in and they would mix it up right there in front of you. You would sit there with your mom or dad or your friends and have a cold coke. It sure makes you feel good." -Jeff Miller, Hendersonville, NC City Counsel.&nbsp;1</blockquote>This 1953&nbsp;mural not only&nbsp;promoted the national Coca-Cola brand, but also promoted local businesses including&nbsp;Comuntzi’s restaurants and the Plaza Hotel. Opened in 1911 at 368 High Street, the downtown Comuntzi’s was a cherished local diner. The Plaza Hotel was located across the street from&nbsp;the building on which the mural was painted. Neither businesses exist in Morgantown today, but their memories are preserved through this mural. The mural was hidden and forgotten when the Farmers &amp; Merchants Bank building was later erected in the adjoining lot. This “ghost-mural” was rediscovered when the bank building was demolished for new construction in early 2014. <blockquote>"It is part of our history at Coca-Cola, definitely, but what we discovered is it is a part of the history and the tradition of each one of these towns where these signs once existed and are now coming back to life." -Lauren Steele, Sr. VP of Coca-Cola1</blockquote> Coca-Cola Consolidated began a nationwide restoration project to unveil multiple "ghost murals" across the country.&nbsp;They generously funded this mural’s restoration in the fall of 2015. Many local and state&nbsp;officials participated in the October 2015&nbsp;ribbon cutting to celebrate the mural's restoration. Coca-Cola refreshments&nbsp;were served to commemorate the products for which this mural was created.

As an introduction to the brand, the Coca-Cola Company began painting murals across buildings in America in 1914. Today these murals represent not only the unique advertising history of Coca-Cola, but also the history of the communities these murals were placed in.   Local Coca-Cola employee, John D. “Jack” Courtney, painted this mural along Morgantown’s High Street in 1953. The mural was covered up and forgotten for many years by a building placed next to what once was Comuntzis' Downtown restaurant. This ghost sign saw light again just a few years ago when the adjoining building was torn down, and successful efforts were made to restore the mural in 2015.

Downtown Morgantown Coca-Cola Mural

Artist and date unknown. More information needed on this mural said to be painted over a mural "Stepping Out" by local artist Butch Lee. This mural, on the backside of Mainstage Morgantown and facing Lotsa Motsa, depicts a town scene, and is said to have been commissioned by Mainstreet Morgantown and painted in the late 1970s.

Mural created in the 1970s, sponsored by Mainstreet Morgantown.

Old Town Mural

Don Knotts was born Jesse Donald Knotts to William Jesse Knotts and Elsie Luzetta Knotts. Don Knotts was the youngest of four sons. His father passed away when he was thirteen and he and his brothers were raised by their mother in Morgantown. Knotts attended Morgantown High School, where he first became interested in acting. His first gigs involved performing as a comedian and ventriloquist at local Morgantown churches. Immediately after graduating high school, Knotts went to New York City in hopes of landing a career as a comedian. However, he was only gone a few weeks before returning home to enroll at West Virginia University (WVU). After a year in college, Knotts joined the army. During WWII, the aspiring comedian was able to practice his trade touring the Pacific as part of the GI variety show "Stars and Gripes." Though he was an awarded serviceman, Knotts elected to return to WVU rather than pursue a military career.Knotts completed his bachelors degree in education between 1946 and 1948. In addition to the education degree, Knotts also acquired a minor in speech. He was active on campus and belonged to the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and the Alpha Psi Omega theater honors society. After graduating from WVU in 1948, Knotts returned to New York City. With his experience in the army entertaining troops, he was more successful the second time around and soon found jobs appearing on a variety of radio and television programs. In 1955, Knotts made his Broadway debut and was introduced to future co-star Andy Griffith in "No Time for Sergeants," a theatrical production that was later produced as a movie.Knotts joined Griffith again in 1960 for the first episode of the Andy Griffith Show. Playing the role of hapless but eager deputy Barney Fife, Knotts won three Emmy Awards for outstanding performance in a supporting role in a TV series. Knotts reprised this role many times over the years in various spin-offs and special episodes. He also made frequent appearances on shows such as The Cosby Show and Here's Lucy. Though in 1970 Knotts received his own television variety show, The Don Knotts Show, it was relatively unsuccessful and short-lived. His next big role was in 1979 when he was cast as the landlord Ralph Furley on Three's Company. Knotts continued to appear in television shows and movies up until the end of his life, often playing Barney Fife or a transparent homage to the character. In 1998, South University Avenue was renamed Don Knotts Boulevard in honor of the comedians 74th birthday. The effort to rename the road began with Monongalia County Commissioner John Pyles who initiated the campaign to change the name of the roadway after watching reruns of the Andy Griffith Show. At the same time, the Monongalia County Sheriff's Department named Barney Fife an honorary deputy sheriff. Knotts passed away on February 21, 2006 after contracting lung disease. Efforts to construct a statue to honor Knotts in Morgantown began immediately when local residents started raising funds. The statue is located at Morgantown's Metropolitan Theater where Knotts performed as a boy. Sculptor Jamie Lester made it his goal to capture the warmth of the local comedian and the statue also depicts Knotts holding Barney Fifes hat while a prop from "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" can also be seen in the work. Fans, friends, and local residents attended the statue's dedication in 2016 as the statue was unveiled by the late comedian's daughter Karen Knotts. Don Knotts' legacy as an accomplished actor hailing from Morgantown continues to be a source of pride and inspiration for the local community.

Dedicated in 2016, this statue commemorates the life and career of Don Knotts, an actor and comedian from Morgantown. Knotts is best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show from 1960-1968. Knotts also starred in films like "The Ghost" and "Mr. Chicken and The Shakiest Gun in the West." His career and legacy influenced many other comedians and he was a beloved figure among his fellow West Virginians for both his success in Hollywood and the way that success did not change the kind and open person who was raised here. 

Don Knotts Statue

The Storybook Castle mosaic in the children's area at the Morgantown Public Library was finished on Nov. 13, 1965. Depicted in the ceramic mural are familiar children's fairytale and storybook characters including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Captain Hook; and Beowulf fighting the dragon. The Golden Fleece is also depicted, and a witch turning into fire. The Service League of Morgantown commissioned local artist Josephine Mather Aull to design and create this mural using proceeds from its annual used book sales. The mural is located in the children's section of the Morgantown Public Library. The artist was a member of the WVU art faculty for 20 years. The mural consists of ceramic pieces placed in mosaic fashion and mounted on a plywood base mounting that is 12 feet long and 5 feet tall. The artist's process involved making&nbsp;drawings of the castle and figures including the prince and princess, king’s guards, Alice in Wonderland, Christopher Robin and other favorite fairy-tale characters, then shaping them into clay. Some pieces include gold and platinum. After the figures were completed and attached to the base, imported glass were used to add sparkle. Service League owns and operates the historic Old Stone House Gift Shop at 313 Chestnut St.

Located within the Morgantown Public Library, this ceramic mural was created by artist Josephine Mather Aull in 1965. It was commissioned by the Service League of Morgantown, a nonprofit that supports local charities. The mural depicts fanciful characters from timeless children's books.

Storybook Castle Mural at Morgantown Public Library

The Colonel Zackquill Morgan statue on Spruce Street does not, in fact, depict the actual image of its subject but instead the artist’s rendering of a typical “Mountaineer” from the colonial period of American history. Indeed, even the image most often characterized as a portrait of Colonel Morgan is of uncertain origin. The portrait, of a middle-aged man in a suit with a mustache and sideburns, was simply one found among the personal effects of Morgan’s wife Drusilla and may depict one of her male relatives. The uncertainty of even the colonel’s appearance hints at the much broader lack of information regarding his life and activities more generally. Much about Zackquill Morgan’s life prior to the outbreak of the American War for Independence remains unknown, and even his activities during and after that war continue to be surrounded by layers of mythology and misinformation. What is known, however, is that he played a pivotal role in that conflict, was involved in and with significant events and people prior to that period and opened the way for dramatically increased white settlement in the Appalachian area afterwards. Zackquill Morgan was the penultimate son of Colonel Morgan Morgan, an individual that was long credited as the first white settler in what became West Virginia (a claim that has more recently been discredited in light of the existence of other white settlers in the same area prior to the Morgans’ arrival). Zackquill Morgan grew to maturity in his father’s large home in what was originally Orange County, Virginia but became Frederick County in 1738 (and later Berkeley County in 1772). The Morgans had significant influence in the area and Morgan Morgan played a key role in the creation of Frederick County from Orange four years after his arrival in the area from Delaware. Morgan Morgan was not only a local magistrate but also a commander in the local militia (hence his rank of colonel). The Morgans also appear to have known George Washington as a young man while he served as a surveyor and commander of provincials in the area in the 1750s. Later, when he briefly settled in what was then Bedford County, Pennsylvania (now Fayette County) from 1769 to 1771, Zackquill would even be nominal neighbors with Washington, who had purchased the land adjacent to Zackquill’s because it included the site of his ill-fated Fort Necessity. There were even rumors in the Morgan family that Zackquill had served alongside Washington in Edward Braddock’s expedition against Fort Duquesne. Research into the available muster rolls for that expedition reveals, however, that Zackquill was most likely not present in that campaign. According to an affidavit by Jacob Prickett he was present in a later western expedition, that of Colonel Henry Bouquet against various members of the western Indian confederacy during Pontiac’s War in 1764. As mentioned above, after his involvement in Bouquet’s expedition in 1764 Zackquill remained in Frederick County a further five years before pulling up stakes and traveling west. He settled briefly in Pennsylvania before migrating southwards in 1772 down the Monongahela and staking claim to the land between the Monongahela River and Deckers Creek where the town of Morgantown eventually rose. For much of the 1770s Zackquill spent a considerable portion of his time traveling between what became Morgan’s Fort, nearby Prickett’s Fort in what is now Marion County, West Virginia, and settlements around Fort Pitt (later Pittsburgh). Zackquill did much of his traveling during the events of the American War for Independence. In that conflict, Zackquill aligned himself with the rebels and was appointed County Lieutenant of Monongalia County (formed in 1776) and elected a colonel in the local militia. In 1777, Morgan proved instrumental in quelling a suspected Loyalist plot against rebel authorities in the Fort Pitt region. A group of British-leaning colonists in the Redstone area twelve miles south of Fort Pitt swore oaths of loyalty to the Crown in August of that year, prompting Zackquill to rally the militia and march to arrest those of questionable loyalty to the cause of independence. Shortly after doing so, Zackquill was tasked with transporting one of these men (a Loyalist named Hickson) to Williamsburg from Fort Pitt for trial. While crossing the Cheat River Hickson fell into the water in his chains and drowned, leading to charges of murder against Zackquill that were eventually dropped. After the war, Zackquill continued to promote his settlement at the convergence of the Monongahela River and Deckers Creek. In October of 1785, he received a charter from the Virginia Assembly to lay out half-acre plots of land for the settlement of a town. By 1790, however, only four houses had been constructed in the town despite many of the plots being purchased. It would take the cessation of hostilities with the western Indians in what is now Ohio after the 1795 Treaty of Greenville (following the 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers) for settlement in what became Morgantown to grow more steadily. Zackquill never lived to see his town take off. He died on New Year’s Day of 1795 with little wealth to his name and was buried at his request in Prickett’s Fort.

The Colonel Zackquill Morgan statue erected on Spruce Street in Morgantown in 2016 was cast by Vandalia Bronze after five years of planning, design, and construction. Founded by Jamie Lester, Vandalia Bronze created the piece in part from Greek bronze dated to 7,000 B.C. The statue commemorates the role of Colonel Morgan in the foundation of his namesake town after receiving a charter from the Virginia Assembly in 1785. Morgan was influential in regional affairs long before that, however, and in fact played a pivotal role in the events of the American War for Independence in the area. The statue is accessible at all hours, every day of the year.

Colonel Zackquill Morgan Statue

The Appalachian Gallery was founded in 1987 by Laurie Nugent and Penelyn Van Orange, who pulled together their experiences in professional framing and art. Their gallery includes two floors of arts and crafts created by West Virginia artists. The breadth of work featured in the gallery includes paintings, drawings, glass, pottery, woodwork, metalwork, jewelry, textiles, and toys. A number of these works feature West Virginia scenes or symbols. Other items like books and puzzles are also for sale. The gallery offers custom framing for pictures, paintings, diplomas, and other heirlooms.The art in the Appalachian Gallery is not all that visitors will see. The gallery is located in the historic Price House, built circa 1902 by Morgantown furniture store owner W.E. Price. It is the prototype or "sister" of the Garlow House on Spruce Street, today the home of the Aull Center for Local History and Genealogy Research. Both the Price House and Garlow House were designed by local architect Elmer Forrest Jacobs. A graduate of West Virginia University and the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University), Jacobs designed a variety of structures in northern West Virginia and Pennsylvania ranging from factories to government buildings to schools. In Morgantown, he is best known for adding the side wings on Woodburn Hall, part of the Seneca Glass Factory, and the Beaumont Glass Factory (now demolished).The Price House was designed in the popular Queen Anne style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The house's recognizable stone tower was added after Price saw the tower Jacobs incorporated in the Garlow House. The tower is often why the house is referred to as the "Sandcastle house." The building originally featured custom-made Tiffany windows, one of which is still extant and depicts a woman playing a harp. The Price House later served as the Sigma Nu fraternity and as a branch of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles. The Appalachian Gallery moved into the house in 2011.

The Appalachian Gallery is an art gallery, gift shop, and framing studio that promotes the work of West Virginia artists. Opened in 1987, the Appalachian Gallery features a variety of arts, crafts, and gift items. The gallery is located in the historic W.E. Price house, designed by famed Morgantown architect Elmer Jacobs. 

Appalachian Gallery

Morgantown Art Party began as an informal meeting group for artists and musicians. It has since grown into a fully-fledged 501C3 non-profit organization devoted to supporting local artists through community engagement. CEO and founder Jillian Kelly said of the organization, "Our mission with Morgantown Art Party is to make it easier for local artists to be artists, for them to succeed, for them to have a place where they can have a show they can afford."1 The organization supports a wide variety of arts including studio arts, poetry, music, theater, and more. Morgantown Art Party hosts frequent events such as workshops, performances, and art exhibits. It relies almost exclusively on community support in the form of volunteering and donations.

Morgantown Art Party is a non-profit art gallery, music venue, and artist's workshop. 

Morgantown Art Party

The plans to renovate the Monongalia Courthouse Plaza were first discussed in 2016. The square prior to the update had been concrete and the Monongalia County Commission thought that it would be wise to renovate it in order to make it ADA accessible and to show a county pride and dedication to perception. As commision president Tim Bloom stated in May of 2018:“One of the things we needed to do, besides make it ADA accessible, was to show prospective business owners who were coming down here that we take care of our property."1In July of 2016, the Monongalia County Commission chose the local architect firm Mills Group to begin designing the renovations, citing safety concerns as the first priority. 2 Falling the initial planning the Commision held discussion with residents in November of 2016 to see what they would like to see incorporated into the design. The same month the plans were first presented to the public. 3, 4 These plans included an outline of the Monongahela River in the patio surrounded with LED rights, plaques honoring the counties fallen, armed forces members, a metal timeline of major events since 1800, and if possible incorporating a fountain to the front of the Courthouse as had been present prior to a modernization attempt in the 1960s.1,4,5 A contest was also issued for a new county flag to be hanged above the plaza open to the school children of the county, which was won by high school senior Andrew Riley. 6 The original fountain was thought to be lost when renovations began and was very difficult to redesign based on the fragmentary surviving evidence of it from old and blurry photographs from decades ago when Phil Cole, a designer on the project, stumbled upon during a run in a park in nearby Westover.5 This was the final piece of the project and added running water to the plaza to signify the role water had played in the development of the county.5 With the fountain added and all the construction completed, the plaza was rededicated on May 2, 2018. 1

Just outside of the Monongalia County Courthouse lies the Monongalia Courthouse Plaza which features memorial plaques, a glass outline of the Monongahela River, and other features design to showcase the local history and beauty of the area in an outdoor and accessible location.  It also fountains a restored historic fountain, Planned by Mills Group, a West Virginia based architecture, planning, and preservation firm, after the Monongalia County Commission sought to improve the existing courthouse square, this site was rededicated in May of 2018 after approval in 2016.  The site is open to the public and is ADA accessible.

 Monongalia County Courthouse Plaza

Founded in 1999, Arts Monongahela grew out of the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce’s Vision 2000 program. In 2014, the organization became the city’s first official Arts Council. In addition to other arts organizations like the Monongalia Arts Center, and those focused on community and economic development, such as Main Street Morgantown and the Historic Landmarks Commission, Arts Monongahela strives to&nbsp;enhance the area’s arts scene.&nbsp;Arts Monongahela collaborates with a variety of local organizations with the Morgantown Board of Parks and Recreation, West Virginia University, theatres and theatre companies, libraries, museums, nonprofits, and small businesses. Programs cover a variety of art forms including student art shows, juried exhibitions, demonstrations, poetry readings, dance performances, and concerts. Arts Monongahela also co-hosts the annual Arts Walk, an evening event held in the spring and fall in downtown Morgantown.

Arts Monongahela is a nonprofit arts organization serving the greater Morgantown area. Developed by the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce in 1999, Arts Monongahela has since become the city’s first official Arts Council. The organization engages local citizens with the visual, literary, and performing arts, actively promotes the work of local professional and amateur artists, and encourages economic and community development. In addition to programs across the area, Arts Monongahela hosts events and exhibits at their gallery located in Morgantown’s downtown business district.

Arts Monongahela

The Neo-classical building that houses the Monongalia Arts Center was constructed in 1913 and was a federally owned post office until it was purchased in September 1975 by the Louis F. Tanner family. The post office was designed by Oscar Wenderoth in Classical Revival style and referred to as the Old Morgantown Post Office. The building itself was the first in Morgantown, WV to be federally built and federally owned by the U.S. government.  When the building opened in 1914 there was an open house to show off the new post office to the community. Citizens scrutinized one attribute to the building, and it was the "lookout" feature. This lookout was a narrow passageway at ceilings' height that ran through the work areas. The postal inspector used the lookout to secretly watch employees while stopping at "Black shutters" along the lookout and wearing a Black mask so he couldn't be detected.1 Mabel Tanner was a founder of the Morgantown players and local art critic for over 40 years. Tanner had long since envisioned a facility complete with a theatre, art gallery, exhibit area, classrooms and workshop space. The facility would house the performing and creative arts and provide a central point from which to foster the arts and encourage their growth. After Tanner's death in 1974, her family purchased the building in 1976 and then established the Monongalia County Arts Association, Inc. to begin work upon a community arts center, thus giving birth to Tanner's reverie.  In 1978, after two years of planning and development, the Monongalia County Arts Association officially opened the MAC to the public. In 1979, the MAC was added to the National Register of Historic places as "Old Morgantown Post Office". It is located in the Downtown Morgantown Historic District, listed in 1966. The Benedum Gallery, made possible through funding Benedum Foundation, was established in 1979; It is located on the first floor of MAC where the gallery displays monthly art exhibits from a variety of cultural and artistic backgrounds. The gallery is handicap accessible and open during weekdays and Saturday afternoons, information on each month's gallery is available on location or online at the center's website.  The Robert M. Davis Gallery is MAC's second floor gallery. The Benedum Gallery, established in 1979, was named after the Benedum Foundation for their donation to the MAC. This gallery was the first commercial gallery in the region and the first community controlled gallery of its type to allow artists submissions. The gallery was created out of a grassroots effort in 2004 as a means to showcase emerging artists and cutting-edge art forms. In 2007 and 2008, the Davis Gallery experienced several upgrades and was doubled in size due to a grant from the Hazel Ruby McQuian Charitable Trust and community volunteer efforts. The Robert M. Davis gallery uses a gallery track hanging system and covers over 800 square feet on the second level.  The Mabel DeVries Tanner Theatre was dedicated in 1981, and the room serves as MAC's space for the performing arts. Originally a federal building, this 1913 Neo-classical structure was donated in 1976 to be developed and maintained as a cultural center for Monongalia County. Over the years, the theatre has hosted everything from plays and classic theatre productions to music performances. The theatre also functions as multipurpose space, available to the public for reservations for events such as wedding receptions and other private parties. In 2008, the MAC began regularly booking local and touring bands for shows and concerts in the space.  The MAC offers classes and workshops in a variety of fields, including classes in Zumba, Yoga, and Kindermusik. The center also hosts two free sewing circles and MACKnitters. Ongoing artists studio sessions for figure drawing are offered all year featuring multiple models and body types. MAC offers the most affordable private music and art lessons in the region as well. Another ongoing program is MAC Improv which meets every Tuesday from 7-9 PM.

The Monongalia Arts Center, or MAC, is located in Morgantown, West Virginia near the campus of West Virginia University. The MAC opened to the public in 1978 as a non-profit arts and culture center to showcase local artists and performers. The MAC's mission is to provide the materials needed to build interest in the arts through ongoing educational programs. Located in a former post office building, the MAC has two galleries, a theatre for the performing arts, and is undergoing production on other projects including an internet radio station and the establishment of the Tanner Theatre as a regular venue for touring bands. 

Monongalia Arts Center

The Morgantown History Museum is&nbsp;a nonprofit institution and the first city-sponsored museum in the Morgantown area dedicated to&nbsp;historic records and&nbsp;artifacts from the city and&nbsp;surrounding region.&nbsp;The Grand Opening on the museum&nbsp;was held on December 16, 2011. Since then, the museum&nbsp;has featured exhibits on and including the Monongalia River, local celebrities like&nbsp;Morgantown native Don Knotts, and the recognition of the 100th anniversary of the HMS Titanic's demise, which Morgantown has ties to.&nbsp;Visitors to the museum are welcome to tour the exhibits although&nbsp;tours must be made within a week advance.&nbsp;Tours include a film documentary on glassmaking and other activities.&nbsp;The museum also provides educational programs for children and adults through a variety of&nbsp;programs and thematic lectures. In 2011&nbsp;for the museums&nbsp;grand opening, hundreds visited "The Way We Worked" exhibit developed by the National Archives. It used demographic and labor data to explore how work became a central element of American culture. In 2014,&nbsp;A traveling&nbsp;exhibit called&nbsp;"Hometown Teams" was&nbsp;brought to the Morgantown History Museum by the West Virginia Humanities Council. "Hometown Teams" examined the role of sports in American culture, past and present. The museum was also&nbsp;part of an effort to build a replica of one of the flatboats that traveled the Monongahela River. These flatboats transported goods and&nbsp;were an essential economic lifeline&nbsp;in the early years of the region's development.&nbsp;

The Morgantown History Museum is a city-sponsored museum of history that collects, preserves, and interprets the history of the city and region. The museum offers a permanent exhibit which includes historic artifacts and displays about prominent residents and institutions within Morgantown and the surrounding area. The museum also sponsors a variety of traveling and temporary exhibits dedicated to a more in-depth look at certain topics related to local history. Although they are not affiliated, the Morgantown History Museum is located directly behind the Morgantown Arts Center.

The Morgantown History Museum

Summer campers in the Morgantown Board of Parks and Recreation (BOPARC) program "Arts in the Park" designed this colorful mural at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Park. Campers were asked to consider what Morgantown meant to them and draw images of what was most significant to them about Morgantown. Each camper made a small mosaic out of cardboard, then instructors and artists assembled the piece. Artist Debora Palmer helped coordinate this project.

This mosaic created by local children and artist Debora Palmer depicts a variety of downtown scenes. It is located along the Caperton Trail restroom building, in between the amphitheater in Hazel Ruby McQuain Park and the roundabout before the footbridge across Deckers Creek.

"All Around the Town" Mosaic

Deckers Creek is an important waterway that meanders from Preston County into Monongalia County, where it empties into the Monongahela River in Morgantown. The mural on the Rail Trail is a creative expression of local efforts to conserve this natural resource. Deckers Creek supports aquatic animals and plants, provides drinking water for local wildlife, and offers recreational opportunities such as fishing, kayaking, swimming, hiking, and bicycling on nearby trails. Like many waterways in urban and industrial areas, Deckers Creek and its surrounding watershed (which extends 64 square miles) have long been polluted by abandoned mine drainage, wastewater, and litter. Since 1995, the Friends of Deckers Creek, a nonprofit organization based in Morgantown, has spearheaded efforts to improve the stream’s health and educate the public about the value of Deckers Creek.The Friends of Deckers Creek approach education through a variety of creative programs, ranging from cleanups to the Green Business Coalition to nature storytime for children. The mural along the Deckers Creek Rail Trail in Morgantown is another unique approach to sharing its message. With a colorful landscape background, the mural explores the important flora and fauna of Deckers Creek and threats to the water quality. Deckers Creek is home to pollution-sensitive insects and fish, while both the water and animals living in the water support a host of life including trees and birds. This delicate ecosystem has been damaged by pollution, especially abandoned mine drainage. As the mural’s diagram explains, abandoned mine drainage is caused by a coal mine filling with water and leaching out toxic amounts of sulfuric acid, iron, aluminum, and manganese. Every day at Deckers Creek, the old Richard Mine dumps more than a ton of acidity and more than 800 pounds of metals into the last five miles of the creek. The mural draws attention to this issue and its larger effect on humans and the environment.The mural stretches 12 feet by 89 feet at the Deckers Creek Rail Trail, which follows the path of the former Morgantown and Kingwood Railroad. This mural replaced a previous mural created by the Friends of Deckers Creek Youth Action Board, which was weathered and graffitied. This prompted Friends of Deckers Creek to completely reimagine the mural. They enlisted artist Michael McDevitt to design a new mural that would be both beautiful and education. On August 27 and 28, 2016, a group of 70 to 75 volunteers painted the new mural, some of which was completed using recycled paints.The Friends of Deckers Creek mural is enjoyed by countless passersby on the Rail Trail and nearby park. A quote on the mural provides an important parting thought:<blockquote>“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead</blockquote>

The Friends of Deckers Creek mural showcases the beauty of Deckers Creek, a tributary of the Monongahela River, and the efforts of local conservationists to protect this natural resource. The mural was designed by artist and former biologist Michael McDevitt and about 70 volunteers helped it become a reality. The mural is 12 feet by 89 feet and located on the Deckers Creek Rail Trail at mile 0 under the Don Knotts Boulevard bridge and near Hazel Ruby McQuain Park. 

Downtown Morgantown Public Art Tour

"The Morgantown Singing Tree of Diversity" Mosaic

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information