Waterford’s history art
A s many as 40 pupils were enrolled in Waterford’s Millstone one-room schoolhouse in the early years of the 20th century. The steeple for St. Paul Church on Rope Ferry Road arrived in town by truck from Kentucky in 1998. The Waterford duck pond and surrounding park was created from an area of marshland in the late 1960s. By the 1840s, the Niantic River was home to more than 30 commercial fishing vessels and during the Great Depression of the 1930s, locals relied on the river’s clams and scallops to feed their families.
These are just some of the historical facts about Waterford being brought to life in a collection of hand-crafted and painted ceramic tiles that soon will be arranged together as part of a mural wall in Waterford’s Community Center. Not only do the tiles memorialize the town’s history, but they do so in a beautiful and intriguing manner that will catch the eyes of passersby. No doubt those who gaze at the completed wall will learn a thing or two about their community’s history and regional significance. They might discover, for example, what a ticket for the longgone Shoreline Trolley looked like and that the town was once a hub for the construction of fishing shacks.
Those who want a preview of how stunning this tile wall will be, need only travel some 20 minutes west of Waterford to Old Saybrook’s Acton Public Library, where a similar historical mural hangs. The base relief tiles there are beautifully designed and include written narratives, along with lovely scenes rendered in soft hues.
The Old Saybrook wall inspired Waterford’s project, which clearly has been a labor of love for the Waterford residents working to make it a success. The project required a tremendous amount of historical research, fundraising to secure sponsors for each tile and coordination with the artists who created the tiles.
Sallie Ritchie, who retired as senior services director last year, spearheaded the project beginning eight years ago. The project began as a fundraiser for the Waterford Senior Services’ Endowment Fund that provides emergency financial assistance to seniors. Some of the $60,000 raised will also support the town’s playgrounds fund. Karen Menzies, chairman of the ad-hoc mural wall committee, dug into the painstaking historical research.
Ritchie, Menzies and the many others who worked to bring this project to fruition deserve much praise for their years of labor. When the 100 wall tiles are soon installed in the Community Center foyer, all residents will share in the pride of their town’s history so beautifully depicted and displayed.