Clio Heritage Mural -- Clio AL - Murals on Waymarking.com

This mural was painted in 2002 on the side of a 1920s commercial building in downtown Clio AL. The mural features scenes of life in Clio from 1890 to the present day, with a large portrait of Governor George Wallace making a stump speech at Clio during one of his gubernatorial campaign stops.

It frankly made all the Blasterz cringe.

Gov. Wallace, of course, is famous for his 1963 inaugural address as Governor, on which he declared "Segregation Now, Segregation Tomorrow, and Segregation FOREVER!" Whehn he was making stump speeches of the kind depicted on the mural, that was his platform -- especially after he was defeated in 1958 where he was seen as more centerist on race that the eventual winner John Patterson. That narrow defeat caused Wallace to become a more strident racist, declaring "I was out-[n-WORDed] by John Patterson. And I'll tell you here and now, I will never be out-n-WORDed] again."

True to his word, Wallace became the most strident segregationist in the next AL Governor's race in 1963, and won handily.

He took the oath of office standing on the brass star inset into the Capitol Steps marking the spot where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as President of the Confederate States of America in 1861. In his inaugural speech, Wallace declared "It is very appropriate that from this cradle of the Confederacy, this very heart of the great Anglo-Saxon Southland, that today we sound the drum for freedom as have our generations of forebears before us time and again down through history. Let us rise to the call for freedom-loving blood that is in us and send our answer to the tyranny that clanks its chains upon the South. In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever!"

The mural is paint on plaster. From left to right the upper third of the mural consists of blue sky over topographical features of the county, as its land stair-steps down to the Chattahoochee River. some of the land is plowed in fields, with a farmer on a tractor about 1/3 of the way from the top.

The middle third of the mural features historic happenings and buildings of Clio, from the coming of the General of Georgia Railroad (which kicked off the settlement of the town) to th building of the school (segregated at the time). Two churches are depicted here -- a large fine church with a white woman in front of it on the left, and smaller, more humble church with a crowd of dark-skinned folks in the churchyard all the way across the mural on the left, another nod to segregation.

There are three figures in the center of the mural -- a smiling white woman with a prairie bonnet and a basket on the left, a black farmer with a downcast face with his hands in the earth in the center, and, towering over him, the tallest figure in the mural: 4-time AL Governor George Wallace making a stump-speech to (white) voters of Clio, the blacks of course being denied their right to vote trough the operation of Jim Crow. Wallace is framed by Alabama and American Flags and is speaking animatedly into a microphone. To the left of Wallace is a huge baseball with Don Sutton's autograph on it.

The bottom third of the mural is all about agricultural crops (cotton, pecans, grapes, chickens, sunflowers, the AL Pork Festival) native plants (camellias, morning glories, gardenias, azaleas, and Dogwoods) products (NuGrape Soda and Five Points) and recreation (AL Pork Festival and fishing).

In the far right corner a picture is inset showing a black man and white woman in front of a computer, which has a ribbon of asphalt extending from it. Perhaps this is symbolic of the road to the future.

A grey granite monument to the left of the mural reads as follows:

"Clio Heritage Mural
Starting Point of
Barbour Co. Governor's Trail

This special Heritage mural marks the southern starting point of the Barbour County governors trail in the birthplace and childhood home of Ford term Alabama Governor George C Wallace, who lived in Clio from his birth on August 25, 1919 until after graduation from the original Barbour County high school in 1937. The mural features Gov. Wallace making one of his famous stump speeches from a flat-bed trailer. It also depicts other noted citizens, structures and scenes from Cleo's history. The mural, dedicated on June 1, 2002 was designed and painted by Barbour County artist Deborah Baxter Jackson and was funded by the Alabama State Council on the arts with matching funds from the town of Clio."

Surely there is more to be proud of in Clio AL than this.

City: Clio AL Location Name: Clio Heritage Mural Artist: Deborah Baxter Jackson Date: 2002 Media: paint on plaster Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and description of your visit. One original photo of the mural must also be submitted. GPSr photo NOT required.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/29/2017 Benchmark Blasterz visited it