College Hill celebrates community mural

COLLEGE HILL - Young artists shared their talent with the College Hill community as they unveiled the 12th and final community Artworks mural in Cincinnati Sunday.

Over the summer, artist Scott Donaldson and seven young artists worked to create a mural to reflect Cincinnati's first official weather tracking station in College Hill, which operated there from 1814-1889.

College Hill resident artist, 16-year-old Henry Severding weighs on why what this mural means to his community.

"I think the mural means a lot. It also, it just enlightens the community in a way. It also brings awareness that the community means something to the people and people care about where they live. It looks good too,” said Severding.

This mural's design is a nod to the community's history as one of the first to record weather data and features 12 weather vanes.

Donaldson explains how a few of the vanes are historical, a couple are whimsical, and most relate something about the community's history and features:

1 -- Rooster atop fruits & vegetables - to reference the College Hill Farmer's Market

2 -- Barometer/thermometer - to reference CH's first and earliest science of weather tracking

3 -- Drinking Gourd (Big Dipper) - a nod to College Hill's strong presence in the Underground Railroad

4 --The American folksong Follow the Drinking Gourd was first published in 1928. The Drinking Gourd song was supposedly used by an Underground Railroad operative to encode escape instructions and a map. These directions then enabled fleeing slaves to make their way north from Mobile, Alabama to the Ohio River and freedom.

5 -- Mortarboards - to reference the community's collegiate history (hence, the name "College" Hill) as well as our value of education and scholarship. Freeman G. Cary established Pleasant Hill Academy for boys on part of his land. The academy became an agricultural school called Farmer's College (for which the area was renamed) in 1846. That school became Belmont College in 1885, and then formed the core of the Ohio Military Institute in 1890. A separate school, the Ohio Female College, was founded in 1852 by Reverend John Covert and operated until 1873.

6 -- Horse - actual weathervane reference, but also a symbolic reference of the community's momentum and energy moving forward

7 -- Woman w/umbrella - actual weathervane reference, whimsical nod to weather

8 -- Couple and streetscape - a reference to family and a loving, supportive community (based on actual weathervane references)

9 -- Flying pig - true Cincinnati symbol

10 -- Trumpeter - a reference to arts, music and culture within the community, also based on actual weathervane reference

11 -- Crosley automobile - a nod to Powell Crosley's ties to the community and invention in the city

12 -- Squid - actual Cincinnati weathervane reference -- to our knowledge there are no actual squids in College Hill... but it is based on an actual vane.

13 -- Watering can w/flowers - reference to the many lush gardens, trees, woods, parks and natural beauty in the community

You can check out the mural in person at 6021 Hamilton Ave., in College Hill.