Downtown mural tells city's history

The history of Enterprise will soon become a work of art for natives and visitors alike to see.

The mural, located on the side of the H&R Block building near the Boll Weevil Monument, depicts the move to peanut farming after the boll weevil destroyed much of the local cotton crop.

According to Meredith Brunson, tourism department director, the mural was a way to highlight the importance of the downtown area and the city.

"Downtown is the heart of Enterprise," Brunson said. "This city has such a rich history, and this is a great way to highlight that.

"We're really excited about this. It's going to be a great addition to our downtown area."

Wes Hardin, the mural artist known for his work in Dothan, was commissioned to do the piece.

He described the mural as "simple," but said it showed the changes in Enterprise's history.

The left of the mural depicts a farmer overlooking a field of cotton, which was the original moneymaking crop of the early 19th century in the area. The sky is cloudy and stormy to represent the storm that is believed to have brought the boll weevil to Coffee County.

The center of the mural will showcase the boll weevil in detail, along with cotton bolls and peanuts. The right of the mural will show peanut fields and a clear sky.

Hardin said that murals are a great addition to any community on two levels: helping with the maintenance and beautification of the buildings they are painted on and becoming a symbol of pride for the local population.

"The benefits of having a mural program is two-fold," Hardin said. "Murals can be maintained and help with beautification. Socially, people from the area, who travel on foot especially, will take pride in it.

"Murals, they become a destination; become a piece of the history."

Hardin said that a mural typically takes about four to six weeks to finish, weather permitting. He said that the he hopes to finish this mural around mid-August.

Brunson said that she hopes to have more murals commissioned in the future.

"This is a piece of an overall vision of downtown revitalization," Brunson said. "Hopefully, it won't be the only one."