A mural in the Canal town helps to illustrate and remember its connection to the waterway.
Beverly Owen and Mark Williams relax in the shade at the Liz and Dave Beebe Camillus Erie Canal Park in Onondaga County. Sitting around various cans of blue and green paints, the artists take a break from working on the latest piece by Mural Mania, an effort motivated by preserving community history through art.
Park volunteers unveiled the completed mural at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 30, 2024. Across from the painted barn doors is a restored section of the original Erie Canal, completed in 1825. The outdoor mural is a part of Mural Mania’s extensive portfolio, which includes more than 80 painted murals along the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, forging the longest mural trail in the world.
“We hope when people see the mural, it will help bring to life what it might have been like,” Park Coordinator Lisa Wiles said. “It’s a wonderful addition to our park as we gear up for the 200th anniversary of the original Erie Canal, which runs through the woods in our park.”
The 420-acre park has 13 miles of wooded walkways and paths and narrated boat rides on the canal. Visitors can also explore historical landmarks, including the Sims Store Museum and the Steam Engine Exhibit. The park dates back to 1972, when New York State offered to sell the abandoned Canal land to the town of Camillus, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022.
“The murals are important because they entice the viewers to learn more about the history and take pride in their community,” Lyons artist Mark De Cracker said.
After retiring from a career in recreational therapy, De Cracker founded Erie Restoration Interests Everyone (ERIE) in 1988 to renew forgotten portions of the Erie Canal.
“The canal was just being forgotten, and I couldn’t believe it,” De Cracker said. “They were using the old locks as dumping grounds.”
In response, he launched the Mural Mania restoration project in 2007. “We went from just one in Lyons to 85 murals from Fairport to Syracuse. We have over 55 in Wayne County alone.”
The latest mural in Camillus took around 40 hours to complete and depicts the Seneca Chief, the first boat to open the Erie Canal in 1825. New York Gov. DeWitt Clinton and General Marquis de Lafayette rode the packet boat along the original Canal route from Buffalo to Albany in the “Wedding of the Waters” celebration.
“Boats like this one would have stopped at stores along the way to sell goods and resupply, such as the Sims Store,” Wiles said.
The Erie Canal played a crucial role in the economic and social growth across New York and the greater United States, contributing to the development of cities along its path. The canal was expanded three times to accommodate larger ships.
The Camillus Erie Canal Park is home to one of the remaining aqueducts from the first enlargement in 1842. Only seven out of 32 aqueducts that enabled canal boats to travel over rivers and streams from the first enlargement remain intact. The park also features remains of an original aqueduct built nearly 200 years ago, located downstream from the enlarged aqueduct.
“The preservation and education of the Erie Canal is vital to not only the residents of New York State but the entire country,” Wiles said. “It’s important we know our history and pass it on to future generations.”
Both Beverly Owen and Mark Williams are native New Yorkers who grew up learning about the lasting legacy of the Erie Canal. Williams is an illustrator and art instructor who recently retired from teaching art in the North Rose-Wolcott School District. He grew up in Wayne County.
Owen, a retired hair stylist from Newark, has painted for Mural Mania since 2010. Despite not having a formal background as an artist, she demonstrated adaptability when she arrived on her first day to prime mural boards, only to find they had already been prepared. She began working on the mural and has painted for Mural Mania ever since.
“Mark asked me if I could paint a deer, and I said, ‘I don’t know.’ He handed me a paintbrush, and that’s the beginning of the story,” Owen recalled.
She painted the birds for the 7-by-32-foot mural on the Savannah Bank in Wayne County. Williams and Owen agreed that their favorite part of the job is spending time with their coworkers and pushing each other to improve.
The new mural complements the “Nine Mile Aqueduct” indoor mural on the second floor of the Sims Store, which Mural Mania also painted.
“The new mural is special,” Wiles said, because it’s the first outdoor art display in the park’s 52-year history, making it convenient for visitors to enjoy at any time.
“It’s accessible 24 hours a day, so when visitors and cyclists come by and our museum isn’t open, they can still see it,” Wiles said.
The mural was funded by the families of Charles and Ruth Bankley and John F. McCabe through the Camillus Canal Society. Charles Bankley owned and operated a general store along the Erie Canal in Belle Isle in the 1800s. McCabe, who died in January 2023, frequently walked the trails of Camillus Erie Canal Park.
“I hope after leaving the park people have a better understanding of the history of the Erie Canal,” Wiles said. “I hope they feel inspired by the work of the park volunteers to keep things beautiful.”
is a reporter and photographer for Unlocking New York.
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