The Murals of St. Thomas:
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Title: “ The Canada Southern”
Artist: Dan & Peter Sawatzky
Location: New St.
This mural commemorates the Canada Southern Railway which solidified St. Thomas' title as a railway capital of Canada. The station shown in the mural was the CSR's passenger depot and company headquarters for many years.
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Title: “Talbot Street 1964”
Artist: Fred Harrison
Location: Pearl St.
Created from an original artwork by the late Clark McDougall, this mural showcases downtown St. Thomas in the early 1960's. The original Clark McDougall painting can be viewed at the St. Thomas - Elgin Public Art Centre.
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Title: “Memories of the Marquette Yards”
Artist: Fred Harrison
Location: Elgin St.
The Pere Marquette Railway was once an important member of St. Thomas' rail industry, and helped St. Thomas become known as the “Railway City”.
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Title: “Foundation of Town & Rail”
Artist: Paul Membourquette
Location: Hincks St.
The Canada Southern Railway was a big part of St. Thomas' rail history from 1872 to 1881. The C.S.R.'s legacy to the community is its historic Talbot Street station, which was created in 1872 as a shortcut through Canada from Chicago to New York.
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Title: “Harvest”
Artist: Denis Arsenaualt
Location: Southwick St.
With the development of the railway in Elgin County came the opportunity for the farming community to get their goods to the national and international markets. The railway helped to make Canada a connected agricultural force.
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Title: “Elgin’s Finest”
Artist: Rick Johnston
Location: White St.
This mural honours the many men from Elgin Regiment’s 91st Battalion, and the railways which were used to transport soldiers, weapons, and food during the World Wars.
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Title: “St. Thomas Street Railway: 1906”
Artist: Nickolas Wilkinson
Location: Mondamin St.
The St. Thomas street railway opened in 1879 and spanned a 10 mile line through downtown St. Thomas. Many of the buildings seen in this mural are still standing today and can been seen along Talbot Street.
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Title: “Magic Carpet: A View From Above”
Artist: Jennifer Desorcy
Location: St. Catherine St.
This painting depicts many significant features of St. Thomas, including City Hall, the Jumbo Monument, the Street Railway, and the Old St. Thomas Church. All of these featured locations are within walking distance of this mural.
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Title: “When I’m Big”
Artist: Dan & Peter Sawatzky
Location: Ross St.
Touted as Canada's largest railway mural, at an impressive 30ft. tall and 50ft. wide, this mural depicts the aspirations of many children who grew up surround by steam engines and the railway industry in St. Thomas.
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Title: “Elephant Parade”
Artist: Paul Austin
Location: Manitoba St.
In the early 1900's it was a large event when the PT Barnum & Bailey's circus would visit St. Thomas. With every visit came a parade to showcase what audiences could look forward to when attending this amazing circus.
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Title: “The First Car”
Artist: Rick Johnston
Location: First Ave.
In 1902, St. Thomas saw the arrival of its first car. The car was made in Cleveland, purchased in Toronto, and shipped to St. Thomas in a railway boxcar. The mural shows the vehicle’s owner and his wife along with the barrels of gasoline that were shipped with the car.
The Murals of Port Stanley:
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Title: “Port Stanley Fire Crew”
Artists: Pat Johnson, Susan Shurish, Susan Gordon, Rowena Spursrud, Paul Schleusner, Betty Burrell
Location: Joseph St.
Painted on the garage doors of the Port Stanley Fire Hall, this mural is based on a photograph taken of the volunteer team of fire fighters in 1939.
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Title: “Lula-May”
Artists: Susan Shurish, Muriel Brown, Jean Johnson, Bryan Parkes, Carm Brown, Burke Shurish
Location: Main St.
Commercial fishing has always been a large part of the Port Stanley’s history. This mural celebrates the men and tugs of the early 1900’s that were an integral part of the commercial fishing industry.
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Title: “Franklin House”
Artist: Candy McManiman, Chris Moore, Jan Row
Location: George St.
This scene shows Franklin House, just one of the many luxurious hotels built in the early nineteenth century. Franklin House was popular because of its close proximity to the L&PS Railway Station in Port Stanley.
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Title: “Acts of Kindness”
Artist: Ron Capser
Location: Manitoba St.
This mural was created with a simple message and purpose in mind, to promote everyone who sees this mural to do an act of kindness. Painted by an American artist, this mural was also created to promote a stronger bond to the American neighbours to the south.
Private Murals in Port Stanley:
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Artist: Paul Schleusner
Location: 230 Colborne St.
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Artist: Ron Capser
Location: 384 George St.
The Mural of Aylmer:
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Title: “Of Initiative and Hard Work”
Artist: Rick Johnston
Location: First Ave.
Aylmer has a rich history of local industries that have helped to develop Aylmer into the thriving community that it is today. This mural showcases some of the key businesses and industries that gives Aylmer its local and national identity.
The Mural of Port Burwell:
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Title: “Main Street Ontario”
Artist: Rick Johnston
Location: Pitt St.
The boat building and fishing industries were the driving force behind the development of Port Burwell. This painting depicts some of the ships that were a part of this port’s once thriving boat building industry.
The Murals of West Lorne
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Title: “Compassion”
Artist: Tjada Campbell
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Title: “In the Broken Glass”
Artists: Hillary Kriter, Vanessa Gray
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Title: “The Tree of Knowledge”
Artists: Jennifer Dupuis, Sarah Fugard
The students of West Elgin Secondary School in West Lorne have made a practice of leaving behind their memories of the school in mural form over the last 20 years. Showcasing a beautiful display of murals throughout almost every hallway has made W.E.S.S. very popular with the locals and tourists to the area. To take a tour of W.E.S.S.’s murals please visit the schools Main Office or call (519) 768-1350 for school hours.
