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Mural trail showcases Sanford's history through art

The murals are along a two-mile trail that starts at Sanford's Visitor Center at 114 Chatham Street.

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By
Sydney Franklin
, WRAL multiplatform producer
SANFORD, N.C. — In downtown Sanford, history is visible on the walls.

It started with a mural at the corner of Wicker Street and Horner Boulevard.

"In the historic district, you cannot paint a wall unless it's been previously painted. In our downtown district, we had several walls that had been painted that looked horrible. They were dingy looking, [and] the property owners didn't have a lot of money to paint them or didn't want to paint them, so I thought maybe if we start a public art program that recognized our history, our historical figures, that it would be in keeping with our historic district," said Sanford's historic preservation planner Liz Whitmore.

The first mural, which honors the Sanford Spinners baseball team that played in the Tobacco State League in the 1940s, was completed in 2015. The latest mural, which celebrates the arts in Sanford, was completed by artist Chris Dalton in 2019. But Dalton is already working on another mural for the city that honors Dr. Mary Margaret McLeod, who started the first pediatric medical practice in Sanford.

The murals help keep the history of Sanford alive, according to Whitmore.

"It was really a way to disguise walls that were very unattractive in the historic district and it blew up. It created a monster, but it's very exciting and it's very rewarding work," Whitmore said.

"I think it's just really important to see that as a teaching tool," she added. "What we've created is an outdoor art museum that's available for all."

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Whitmore said while the city keeps the mural's focus on the history of Sanford, other art in the area shows a more creative side to the city.

"As we expand outside of the historic core [of the city], we can get a little bit more avant-garde except for alleys. We looked at those differently, as things that people can pass through and have fun. That's a meeting place for your friends. We've had concerts in them," she said.

A committee comes up with the subject matter idea for the mural and then looks at proposals from artists.

"I do an RFP [request for proposal]. I provide as much information as I can find about the person or the structures and then we send out the RFP with all that information, and then we get those submissions back and we go through them," explained Whitmore.

DREAM mural

While work on the latest mural is underway, ideas for new murals continue to flow in Sanford, including a mural to honor a Sanford man who played a part in the naming of band Pink Floyd.

Floyd Council was a blues guitarist in the 1920s who was born in Chapel Hill and later moved to Sanford after his career.

"He's buried here but the connection, the reason why people would like to see one done of him, is he was a great blues guitarist and he should be honored separately," said Whitmore.

"There's always ideas going on," she added, including talks for a mural honoring WWII pilot Capt. Rod Sullivan.

Since its start in 2015, the arts program has grown through a public-private partnership with the support of Sanford's City Council, state General Assembly Representative John Sauls and private donations.

"We have a population of just over 30,000, and all of our public art, about $330,000 worth, comes out to $10 per capita," said Whitmore.

Despite the town's small population, the arts continue to boom in Sanford.

"Our murals are different than everybody's else's. We don't want what everybody else has," said Whitmore. "We really want to engage everybody and understand what our history is."

The Sanford Visitor Center provides a map of the murals for people to pick up while they visit.

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