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The following text is part of what is included in a booklet for sale in the Historical Society of Cheshire County’s museum shop highlighting the Walldogs murals in Keene.
KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) The Historical Society of Cheshire County is pleased to serve as tour guides for Keene’s Magical History Tour murals. Trained tour guides lead two-hour walks that share the stories behind the mural topics.
In June of 2019 more than 200 muralists and sign painters from around the world descended on Keene. For the next four days they created 16 large wall murals around the city that illustrate Keene’s unique history. The mural topics were selected by the community.
The Walldogs is an informal group of artists and sign painters who come together once each year. They carefully choose one community with which they share their talents. Keene convinced the Walldogs to come here and then dozens of volunteers worked for many months to organize the event and to raise $200,000 to ensure the success of the four-day festival.
In mid-June more than 200 artists arrived from across the United States, Europe, Australia, South America, and Canada.. The City of Keene celebrated with a festival featuring food, music, games, and especially art. The end result was a festival that produced an amazing public art gallery spread across the community that is open to all. The year-round attraction offers a combination of beautiful art and fascinating history for the enjoyment and education of local residents and visitors alike.
Join us for a tour by visiting the Historical Society website at www.hsccnh.org.
The Historical Society of Cheshire County is dedicated to collecting, preserving and communicating the history of Cheshire County, New Hampshire. The organization is the regional leader in the preservation and dissemination of local history. The Society’s cultural heritage focus helps to enhance the quality of life for present and future generations.
The Historical Society provides more than 150 programs each year which illustrate that Cheshire County is a place that honors its future and its past. These programs, ranging from summer camps, teacher workshops, and feature exhibits to festivals, walking tours
and hands-on activities, are presented on all levels and in a wide variety of formats, providing opportunities for people of all ages to connect with the region’.s past.
Cheshire County’s cultural heritage is one of the main reasons that people visit here, live here and start businesses here. They perceive that the region’s rich history contributes to their lives.
The Historical Society fosters connections between our personal stories and the history of the region, providing a sense of place by connecting the past to the present. The most important part of our mission is to share history with people of all ages and from all walks of life. ·
Barry Faulkner, Muralist
Barry Faulkner, Keene’s most acclaimed visual artist, created murals across the country, including several in Keene. His two most famous works, displayed in the National Archives in Washington DC, represent the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. During WWI, Faultner trained artists as camouflage specialists, leading to the founding of the American Camouflage Corps.
Designed by: Tom Siebert, Murals for Schools Huntington Beach, CA
Catherine Fiske
Catherine Fiske inspired young women to question, to find answers, and to strive toward excellence. She interwove lessons in in chemistry, taxonomy and linquistics into everyday work. Her legacy was her students, who went on to inspire others; and in the roots of high-quality education, firmly established in the heart of Keene.
Designed by: Mandred Didier, Timber Signs Ofterschwang, Germany
Jonathan Daniels, Civil Rights Activist
Jonathan Myrick Daniels, a 26-year-old white seminary student, answered the Rev. Martin Luther King Jrs., call to help regtister AfricanAmerican voters in Alabama. His death while in service to the fight for civil rights for all Americans inspired many to join the same cause. In 1991, Daniels was designated a martyr by the Episcopal Church.
Designed by: Chris Lovelady Vital
Signs Thomasville, Georgia
Dr. Albert C. Johnston
During WWII, when Dr. Albert Johnston and his community that his family had been “passing” for years, the people of Keene, for the most part, found the fact interesting, but not significant. The revelation and subsequent publicity challenges us to wrestle with the absurd notion of the “one drop rule” and definitions of race.
Designed by: Scott “Cornbred” Lindley
Mt. Pulaski, Illinois
The Railroad
As the nexus of the Cheshire, Manchester and Keene, and Ashuelot Railroads, the city of Keene became one of the most significant centers of industry in the reigon. Not only did the railroad provide transportation for passengers and goods, but the Keene Repair Shops employed hundreds of people in locomotive manufacturing and repair.
Designed by: Mike McEvers, Sign Art Studio
Indianapolis, IN
Trinity Bicycle
The Trinity Cycle Manufacturing Company of Keene NH, produced a new “safety” bicycle. The safety bicycle used pneumatic tires, a smaller frame and wheels and chain drive to improve steering, safety, comfort and speed. Mass-produced, the lighter weight vehicle, with simpler construction and maintenance, was affordable priced for working people and the middle class.
Designed by: Cameron Bortz – Mystic Carved Signs Pawcatuck, CT
Clarence DeMar
“Do most of us want life ont he same calm level as a geometrical problem? Certainly we want our pleasures more varied, with both mountains and valleys of emotional joy and marathoning furnishes just that.” The Demar Marathon, an annual race held in Keene, draws runners from all over the world, and honors Clarence Demar’s legacy of tenacity and resilience.
Designed by: Aaron Taylor
Brix Design, Pensacola, FL
Jennie B. Powers
Jennie B. Powers, was “a maker of humane history.” A humane society agent, she fearlessly investigated, arrested and prosecuted thousands of cases of abuse of children, women and animals. The work was dangerous and physical. Despite death threats, Jennie put herself in harm’s way, intervening in brutal conditions on behalf of the vulnerable.
Designed by: Elaine Wallis, Signature Sign & Image Niagara Falls, ON, Canada
Noella Cotnam, Sign-It, Cornwall, ON, Canada