HAVERHILL — George Washington rides into town on a white horse. Gert Swazey balances precariously on one foot on the back of a black steed during a performance with Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth. And then there's Rowland Macy, the man who founded one of the world's most well-known retail stores.
All three characters from Haverhill's past jumped off the canvas in three 7-foot by 3-foot murals painted by students in an after-school program at the Nettle and Whittier middle schools. The students have been working alongside Newburyport Copley Master artist Susan Decker to create murals that Haverhill will display in the alleyway of Pedro Diego's on Washington Street. Students also got help from Nettle art teacher Beverly Rigoli and Whittier art teacher Bonnie Porter.
"I think it's amazing that our art will be on display for everyone to see," said Whittier sixth-grader Ryisha Grant. "I loved this project because we got to work with paints and we learned a lot."
Art, downtown and children are major themes in the next few months as Team Haverhill launches its initial community enhancement projects for 2008. Team Haverhill plans to install 12 new murals in downtown locations — including three created by students in the after-school program — and it plans to refurbish the playground at Bradford Elementary School.
"The mural and playground projects are just the start," said Team Haverhill Co-Chairman Tim Jordan. "Over 120 people turned out for our Possible Dreams event in January. Table conversations that night surfaced nine areas of citizen interest that ranged from boosting downtown vitality to projecting a positive image of the city and schools, to making Haverhill a leader in environmental practices."
Team Haverhill is an organization of local people ranging from merchants to neighborhood leaders to clergy and elected leaders who are setting goals to help Haverhill improve itself.
Decker and the students chose three famous people from Haverhill's past to represent in their murals. Two are featured in the Haverhill Citizens Hall of Fame: Gert Swazey, who lived from 1855 to 1934; and Rowland Macy, who lived from 1822 to 1919. Washington once visited Haverhill.
Swazey, the daughter of a wealthy man, ran away from home to join the circus rather than attend Bradford Academy (which later became Bradford College), as her father would have liked. A bareback rider with Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth, Swazey is believed to be the first female circus performer to wear tights. She toured the country as a performer, then returned to Haverhill to live out her last years in poverty.
Macy founded the famous R.H. Macy department store and got his start in the retail dry goods business in a store on Merrimack Street. The third mural features the nation's first president, George Washington, riding a horse into Haverhill.
Nettle sixth-grader Djouby Maitre helped sketch the Washington mural. He also learned about Washington's visit to his city by reading "Chase's History of Haverhill."
"This was a fun project," Djouby said. "I enjoyed doing the hair and feathering, the clouds and painting the horse."
Primary sponsors for this phase of the mural project include the Haverhill Cultural Council and LEAP Haverhill.
Last fall, Team Haverhill bought six murals featuring historic scenes from Haverhill's past and then mounted them to the side of two historic buildings downtown. The murals are intended to evoke those spirits of the old downtown to help grow a new heart of Haverhill, where now-defunct shoe factories are transformed into modern pubs, restaurants and shops.
The three murals created by the middle school students will be introduced to the community during the downtown Kidsfest celebration, which is May 4. Warren Gerety, co-chairman of Kidsfest, said unveiling the murals is a perfect event to include in the day because children are involved in designing and creating the paintings.
Worth a thousand words
Students helped create murals of:
r Gert Swazey, a bareback rider with the Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth
r Rowland Macy, who founded the famous R.H. Macy department store
r George Washington, our nation's first president
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What Team Haverhill is planning this year
A challenge grant of $10,000 from an anonymous foundation is pushing for a third phase of the Team Haverhill mural project later this year. Nine more paintings will be displayed in various downtown locations. Artists and sites are now being selected, and sponsors are already coming on board to create the dollar-for-dollar match required by the donor. Additional businesses, civic groups and individuals are being sought as sponsors.
Potential sponsors for the mural or playground projects can find more information at Team Haverhill's Web site: www.teamhaverhill.org. Inquiries about murals can be sent to th.mural.project@comcast.net. Inquiries about playgrounds can be sent to th.playground.project@comcast.net. Citizens are welcome to attend Team Haverhill meetings, which are listed on the Web site, or to participate in specific projects.
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