The Harmar
Murals
During a twenty-nine month
span from December 1993 to April 1996, over 400 elementary school
students from Harmar School in Marietta, Ohio, contributed to the
mural project. The murals were mounted on a pump house at the
junction of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers in Marietta. Each of
the four sides depict a part of the community's history as seen
through the eyes of the students. In fact, each and every one of
the 300 plus drawings were created by Harmar students with images
ranging from clouds and flowers to important moments in local
history. Drawings such as the original fort and sternwheelers,
which represent the founding of the community and the importance
of river travel, are combined with representations of bridges and
fast food restaurants to create a vivid image of Marietta's past
and present. In the four sides of the mural shown here, you can
see what creativity, hard work and perseverance created. This is
truly, "The Little Mural That Could."
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All the Harmar School children got a realization
of the complexities of working with a city government in
an attempt to get things done. What else did the children
take away from the project? Click here to hear more. The site of the murals was chosen because
the pump house is located on the site of the original
fort where Marietta was located. Who created the 117
drawings that depict the founding of the fort? Click here to hear more.
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On the second side
the children drew pictures having to do with
transportation and, of course, the river. A cross-section
of the Muskingum River was used on this side of the
mural. Why was this method used and what do the pictures
on this side of the mural represent? Click here to hear more.
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A view from a hill
overlooking present day Marietta was used on the third
side of the mural. It illustrates the growth of the small
town into a city. Who is the boy pictured on Harmar Hill
and how was he created? Click here to hear more. This side portrays an evening scene in
Marietta. All the houses in the picture have something
special in common. What is it? Click here to hear more.
The pumphouse the mural is
painted on stands at the confluence of the Ohio and
Muskingum Rivers. Many years ago, the original fort in
Marietta stood here. Why is this site important to the
Harmar children and what is the story behind the
"C?" Click here
to hear more.
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The fourth side presents
another picture of Marietta today. It shows a hectic city
full of life and activity. Many images were used in the
Harmar Mural, especially on this final side. Out of all
the paintings of people, only one portrait of a real
person appears on the pumphouse. Who is the portrait of
and why was it used? Click
here to hear more. |