Black History Mural Project
Our new mural project honors and celebrates the history and culture of Sherman's Black community with a six-part, themed installation at the Sherman Public Library.
Sherman Black History Mural Series
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Led by the Sherman Cultural District and City of Sherman, Texas, six different designs were commissioned for a mural series in Downtown Sherman to commemorate significant cultural history of African Americans in Sherman. The project is funded in part by a State Cultural District Program grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and additional support from Austin College’s Legacies of American Slavery grant. Many thanks to Austin College faculty members Dr. Felix Harcourt, Associate Professor of History, and Dr. Claire Wolnisty, Associate Professor of History, for directing research with their students that provided the foundational history and context for this project. We also acknowledge the beautiful designs created by the artists whose works were selected for the mural wall. Learn more about the artists and themes through the links below.
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The mural series adds to the collection of public art in the Sherman Cultural District. Each design depicts one of six themes pre-selected for this project. The murals are intended to honor and celebrate two aspects of African American history in Sherman:
(1) commemorating the lost Black-owned business district that was thriving in early 20th century Sherman, prior to a devastating race riot in which a mob set fire to and destroyed most of the businesses; and (2) remembering a musical heritage including jazz artists and performers who came through Sherman. Mural panels are located on the south side of the Sherman Public Library, 421 N. Travis Street.
The Designs
"Memories of East Mulberry Street" - collaborative design. Commemoration of the Andrews Building in East Sherman and the various Black-owned businesses located there. The building served as the hub of a thriving Black business district of several blocks before it was burned to the ground by a mob in a 1930 race riot.
"The Celebratory Climb" by Timothy Rainer. Portrayal of community life: schools, churches, and neighborhoods of the African American community, prior to the 1930 race riot or afterward as the community slowly rebuilt from the devastation.
"Forged in the Fire" by Hugh Baxley II. Recognition of Sherman resident William J. Durham, pioneering African American attorney known for his civil rights work with future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall on the case Brown v. Board of Education, among others.
"Teddy Buckner and Buddy Tate" by Anikah McRae-Eason. Several African American musicians born in Sherman, particularly jazz saxophonist Buddy Tate and trumpeter Teddy Buckner, achieved success in the music world.
"Dr. Prince, Medicine Man" by Hugh Baxley II. Recognition of distinguished medical professionals in the Black community in the early 1900s, including physicians and dentists who lived and worked in East Sherman.
"Chitlin' Circuit" by Stormy Chavez. Sherman was a stop for Black musicians on the "Chitlin Circuit." Those known to have performed in Sherman in the 1960s and 1970s include B.B. King, Al Green, Tina Turner, and more.