The Centennial Mural: A History of Burlington's First 100 Years

On February 14, 1993 the City of Burlington celebrated its centennial birthday. As a lasting gift to the City from this commemoration, the Centennial Lasting Gifts Committee, chaired by Mrs. Kay Norris, approved two projects that would long stand as reminders of this celebration. The first was the erection of two welcome monuments to the City. One was erected directly behind the historic depot located at the intersection of Main and Front Streets, the other on Huffman Mill Road near its intersection with Garden Road. The second gift was the commissioning of a mural to be mounted in the historic depot. This mural was to consist of 10 panels, one for each decade of the City's existence and would depict significant events that occurred locally and nationally during Burlington's first 100 years of existence. Renowned artist and Alamance County native Rodney Moser was selected for this ambitious and important project. The first two panels of the mural were unveiled to the public on May 1, 1993 during the Victorian Ball held in Downtown Burlington downtown commemorating the centennial celebration. Local historian Don Bolden, who was also Editor of The Times-News, was the Master of Ceremony for this unveiling and provided vivid description and detail about the events depicted on the mural. The final eight panels of the mural were completed and mounted later that year. Now, on the 20th anniversary of the mural in 2013, the City of Burlington is honored to premiere and make available to the public a documentary film that will take viewers on a visual journey through the City's first 100 years captured in this valued piece of art. Few cities in North Carolina can lay claim to possessing a community piece of art of this magnitude, and it is the City's goal to ensure the stories contained in the mural are accurately conveyed to future generations. This film features commentary from Don Bolden, now Editor Emeritus of The Times-News, who provides historical detail on some of the events depicted on the mural and Rodney Moser, who provides an interesting perspective of this work from his creative and artistic standpoint. Contact 336-222-5076 or visit www.BurlingtonNC.gov/CentennialMural to purchase a DVD copy of the film.