Ever wonder about the identity of the veterans captured in the Lady Liberty Remembers Mural on Sandusky Street in Bucyrus? Did you ever think you might know some of the veterans, or that a relative of yours might even be included? Thanks to the work of some local volunteers, you can now find the answer to those questions by visiting a new sign at the mural.
The idea first came to local volunteer and retired Bucyrus school teacher, Bill Fisher, when his family was trying to identify family members while looking at the mural one day. The Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce, who was one of the original organizers of the mural (along with The Community Foundation for Crawford County and Projects, Inc.), maintains a list of the veterans’ identities. Similar to the signage at the Great American Crossroads Mural which helps onlookers identify historical facts and figures in the mural, Bill envisioned a similar sign which would help onlookers be able to name the veterans’ faces. After obtaining a copy of the veterans’ identities from the Chamber, Bill then reached out to community volunteer Richard Carpenter, who had also finished the computer artwork for the sign at the Great American Crossroads Mural. Richard went to work on the new project, and a sign was born! Bill and Richard then solicited assistance from the Projects, Inc. Board and the City of Bucyrus, and the sign was erected last Friday, June 9th.
Eric Grohe of Marysville, WA was the artist on both murals, finishing Lady Liberty Remembers in 2001. The mural features Lady Liberty cradling a dying soldier in her arms. The 285 faces surrounding her are all Crawford County veterans, and their military service spans the American Revolution through 2001. When it was publicized back in 2001 that Eric needed photographs of veterans and short narratives, he was flooded with more pictures than he could use. He narrowed down the chosen ones based on the clarity of the photographs from which he could work. The entire collection of photos was documented and compiled into a book, Liberty Remembers: Veterans and Servicemen/Women of Crawford County Ohio. Eric, who is a veteran himself, said of the pictures he painted, “I could not paint their bravery or dedication. I painted their faces, but I could not paint their love of country or sacrifice.”
The Lady Liberty Remembers Mural is completely privately funded and no tax dollars were used in the project. Generous contributions for the project came from individuals, clubs, local veterans’ groups and service organizations. The mural is currently owned and maintained by Projects, Inc., a support organization of The Community Foundation for Crawford County.
