The Church Street Mural Project

The Church Street Mural Project. . , The beautiful piece of public art which now stands at the corner of Church Street and Business Route 13 may have taken a couple of months to paint, but it is the product of more than a century of history made right here, by a resilient community which has historically been under-served. Once known as "Georgetown," the neighborhood which surrounded this site was all but erased from the map to make way for the highways behind you. This mural, and the small park in which you stand, were created with the input and cooperation of the people who live and work in the surrounding neighborhood., The Georgetown Neighborhood , The Church Street Mural is located in the Church Street Historic District and the former African-American neighborhoods of Georgetown and Cuba. Georgetown was centered along Church Street before part of it was displaced by the construction of routes 13 and 50. Included in this neighborhood was John Wesley Methodist Episcopal, the current location of the Charles H. Chipman Cultural Center. The neighborhood was also home to St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church and First Baptist. The Cuba neighborhood was located adjacent to the south side of Georgetown along two alleys. Cathel Street and Water Street (now Calvert Street). The Chipman Cultural Center is the sole surviving structure of the two once-thriving African-American neighborhoods. Originally a one-story structure, the former church was expanded in size thanks to a fundraising effort ahead of the visit of Frederick Douglass to the Wicomico Courthouse in 1880., This Site , The land upon which this marker sits was, until 2018, the site of a 2-story, commercially-zoned property. Long an eyesore at one of the City's busiest intersections, the building's final tenant was an adult-oriented boutique named "SexStyle," which closed its doors in 2015. The building sat vacant until the City purchased it for $14,000 in the winter of 2018. Demolition of the building was less-than-straightforward, as crews faced asbestos removal, and the task of pulling the structure down without causing any damage the neighboring Bradley Building. The park space in which you now stand was created through a partnership between Salisbury's Field Operations, Housing and Community Development, and Infrastructure and Development Departments, Lowe's, and the Weisner family, owners of the Bradley Building., About the Artist: Paul Boyd III , Paul "Sketch" Boyd III was born and raised in Salisbury. Boyd's design company, Seven Digits and Running Studios, brings urban influence to portraiture, interior design, and fashion. Boyd's work can be found in homes and businesses around Salisbury, and even in the offices of Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson in New York City. His mural design was informed by the book 'Round the Pond, the Georgetown Neighborhood of Salisbury Maryland written by local historian Linda Duyer. Inspired by stories of prominent African-American citizens from throughout Salisbury's history, Boyd's vision was to create a vibrant and joyous work which invoked the limitless possibility of the future, yet also payed reverence to the community icons who laid the way for his generation., Community Input Session , Also informing Body's design was input from community members who participated on social media, and at a Community Input Session, held January 15th, 2019 at the Truitt Community Center. Historian Linda Duyer spoke about the rich cultural history of the neighborhood, and then public discussion was heard. Attendees were also given a scale image of the blank side of the building, and encouraged to draw a representation of what they would like to see painted. Boyd's design was ultimately selected, in part, due to how it respectfully incorporated insight and ideas gleaned through this process., Sgt. William A. Butler , World War 1 hero, William A. Butler (1891-1947) lived on Water Street in the Cuba neighborhood of Salisbury. He joined the 369th United States Infantry Division, fighting Germans invading the Champagne District of France. On August 18th, 1918 Butler's single-handed attack on advancing German troops earned him the American Distinguished Service Cross and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm. Butler is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia., Dr. Charles H. Chipman , An educator and civic leader, Charles H. Chipman (d. 1987) was born in New Jersey. He accepted a principal position at a school in Salisbury in 1915, later meeting his wife Jeanette and starting a life here. Chipman served as the first African American principal at the Salisbury Industrial High School in the Georgetown Neighborhood. In 1930 he accepted a position as the principal of the newly opened Salisbury High School., Elaine Brown , Teacher Adah Elaine Brown (d. 1993) was born in Salisbury to William H. and Aida C. Brown. She graduated from Salisbury High School and went on to earn her bachelor of science degree from Morgan State University as well as a master of arts from Columbia University. She later returned to teach at Salisbury High School and retired in 1977., James F. Stewart , Local undertaker, James F. Stewart (1883-1949), was born in Quantico, Maryland to James and Harriet Jackson Stewart. He married educator Mary E. Augusta and established the James F. Stewart Funeral Business located on Church Street in the Georgetown neighborhood, directly across from the John Wesley M.E. Church., Dr. G. Herbert Sembly , Salisbury physician Dr. G. Herbert Sembly (d. 1987) was born in Lutherville, Maryland. He moved to Salisbury in 1927 to begin his practice and married Mae Jones of Princess Anne, who worked as a receptionist for Dr. Sembly. His offices were located on Church Street, directly across from the Church Street Mural., Special thanks to the volunteer and donor organizations who made this possible: , Lowes, Old Castle Masonry, Outten Brothers Home Furnishings, R&R Coatings, Carter's Electric, First Shore Federal, Marty Neat, Sharon Morris, Barkers Landing Corporation, Salisbury Arts and Entertainment Committee, Salisbury Police Department, ED Supply, Poet Laureate Nancy Mitchell, Dr John Wesley Wright, Jeremiah Copeland, and Thomas Snyder, Executive Elder Craig Wilson, Cathedral Love, and the Weisner Family who so graciously offered the wall upon which the mural was painted.