town hall | Eyes on the Streets

There are 2 older murals in Chatham Ontario that depict some scenes from yesteryear. The first is at least 25 years old and shows a line of stores and businesses. Even the upper windows are part of the artwork. Just this week (mid June 2025) it was announced that a new mural would be painted here this summer. I have just discovered that there is a video on Facebook of this old mural being dismantled and removed. I must have been in Chatham the day before it was removed!

So…. for a limited time only, here it is (in two images)

below: People enjoying meal at the Savoy cafe while others are tempted by the desserts on display in the window.

history of Chatham mural, older, peeling and faded a bit, a line of businesses, including the Savoy Cafe

below: Also in the row of businesses is Heintzman & Co Pianos, Lyons Tailoring, and Thomas Stone & Son (clothing?). People mingle on the street and a car drives past.

history of Chatham mural, older, peeling and faded a bit, a line of businesses, including Heintzman Pianos and Lyons Tailoring.

below: Ladies checking out what’s on display at the tailors, window shopping.

history of Chatham mural, older, peeling and faded a bit, a line of businesses, two women looking in the window of Lyons tailoring where a woman is adjusting a dress on a headless mannequin. A man about to get on a bike is also in the picture

below: A girl plays a tune on a Heintzman piano while a family out for a drive, passes by.

The Historic Downtown Chatham Business Improvement Area (BIA) have chosen a design for a new mural that was created by local artist Ruth Ann Pearce. Apparently history will still be part of the theme but beyond that, a surprise awaits!

The second mural is newer but was painted by the same artist as the one above, C. Penelope Duchesne. Help was provided by Nancy Foulis, Bonnie Cernenac, Shannon Lindsay, Amy Maynard, Terry Nelmes, and John Reimer.

The mural is in three parts – on both the right and left side is a market scene.

part of a mural by Penelope Duchesne of a market scene from early in the 1900s

part of a mural by Penelope Duchesne of a market scene from early in the 1900s, a white chicken in a cage, a bunch of sunflowers

“The old town hall at north end of the market, 1905” The central panel of the mural features the old Town Hall which was built in the 1850s. The market stretched out behind it. The city sold it in the 1950s; it was demolished some thirty years later.

painting of the old Chatham Town Hall, a large brick building, in a mural

Well, probably not the Mexico you’re thinking of…. I was referring to the village of Mexico in upstate New York.

large green and white sign that says welcome to the village of mexico, a smaller sign beside it that claims

below: This brick building with the clock tower is the Town Hall in Mexico NY, where one wall is now home to a large mural.

small brick building, with a clock tower, town hall in mexico new york

below: The mural illustrates some of the history of the area.

below: The subtitle on the left is La Guerre d’Independance. I am not sure why it is in French.

front end of town hall showing clock tower and part of mural

below: In the center of the mural is a circular coin shaped piece, a Liberty Walking half dollar with the motto “In God We Trust”. It is dated 2004 when the mural was painted.

part of a mural, picture of half-dollar coin with the word liberty, and a winged image of liberty as a young woman

below: A tribute to the area’s role in the Underground Railroad. Mexico was one of the most active abolitionist and Underground Railroad centers in central New York. Starr Cark (1793-1866) and his wife Harriet Loomis Clark who lived in the village played a central role. Rather than recount the story on this page you can find a link to the National Park Service website describing Star Clark’s Tinshop.

part of a mural about the underground railroad

below: The plaque that accompanies the mural states that the artist was Kenneth C. Burke of Syracuse NY. Everyone who donated in support of the mural is also listed as are the members of the Greater Mexico Chamber of Commerce.