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Isabelle Snead, Taylar Gray, and Aniyah Lemons work to perfect a mural on South Carolina history at Barnwell Primary School on March 31.
Muralist Russ Petty worked with students at Barnwell Primary School to complete a mural.
The third grade hallway depicting South Carolina history at Barnwell Primary School (BPS) is now complete.
Muralist Russ Petty and BPS scholars dried off their brushes on March 31 after a successful painting session. The last time Petty visited BPS to work on one of his many murals seen throughout the school was 2015, and he was excited to get back behind the brush in Barnwell.
“I love history through stories,” said Petty, who painted his first mural in 1993. “When you can see it, it helps make a little more sense.”
Every time BPS third graders walk down this hallway, they follow the state’s river system from mountains to coast and learn about the different landmarks in each region.
“This shows the landform of South Carolina,” said Petty as he traced the walls. “It follows a river system, and it’s got flora and fauna for what each region is known for.”
The hallway begins with a large map of the state and depicts S.C. historical periods and events such as the Revolutionary War, vast indigo fields, the Civil War and Sherman’s troops burning down towns followed by the reconstruction period. The mural then goes into the mid-1990s agricultural and textile boom.
As the mural transitions into the current decade, it depicts the many industries that have grown throughout the state and county. Part of this hallway was accomplished in 2013.
“We’re adding to the Best Friend of Charleston,” said Isabelle Snead, BPS third grader and mural contributor.
As students paint, Petty is teaching them about what they are painting.
Other student muralists who were working alongside Petty on perfecting the Best Friend were Taylar Gray and Aniyah Lemons.
Built for the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company, the Best Friend of Charleston was a steam-powered locomotive which had its inaugural run on Christmas Day in 1830.
Tracks from the Best Friend Railroad can still be found in Blackville, Williston, and other small towns. They are noted as one the oldest railroad tracks in the country and the Best Friend is widely considered to be the first locomotive built entirely in the United States.
Petty has also painted murals at Kelly Edwards Elementary School in Williston, Macedonia Elementary-Middle School, and Blackville-Hilda High. He began painting murals at BPS in 2010.
When The People-Sentinel visited the mural, it was hours away from being completed. These images do not show the mural in completion.
