A mural is the first sign of a new park in downtown Norwich. Here's what we know.

NORWICH — Normally, flat white wall greets drivers on Broadway toward Main Street.

Not anymore. Passersby in the past week have likely seen the beginning of a mural.

"I hope that this has a lasting impact for generations to come," muralist Ben Keller said. "I hope it brings people hope, joy."

The patch of land behind Castle Church, the former Norwich Savings Society, built in 1895, will become Jubilee Park, a public space the church will care for. Castle Church Pastor Adam Bowles wants to turn the wall and the adjacent lot into “something special for the city.”

Accompanying the park is a mural featuring two important Black figures in Norwich’s history - James Lindsey Smith and Sarah Harris Fayerweather.

Bowles said the park itself will take time to complete, with just the plans expected to be finished next year. The mural, started this month, should be done in June, with a dedication tentatively scheduled for June 12.

Bowles said he was inspired to create Jubilee Park from a disused patch where a building once stood when the non-denominational Christian church first moved into its current home in 2019.

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“Right away, I just knew this would be a great way to bless the community by turning it into something that’s beautiful,” Bowles said.

'Gather, connect and build social ties'

The final ideas for Jubilee Park are up in the air, he said. He wants to have community meetings between the church, the Yale Urban Design Workshop, and the community on what the park should look like and be used for, as long as it’s a place “gather, connect, and build social ties.”

Bowles was also inspired by the revitalizing impact of Wynwood Walls, an outdoor street art and mural museum, in Miami.

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The roughly 50 ft. square mural costs $40,000, and Yale's work costs $35,000, according to Castle Church's website. The church is still collecting funds for the project via a GoFundMe page titled "Norwich Jubilee Project — Mural & Park," which had $1,100 as of Monday.

Who were Sarah Harris Fayerweather and James Lindsey Smith?

Norwich-born Harris Fayerweather was the first Black student of Prudence Crandall’s school in Canterbury in 1832, which was then closed in 1834 due to violence toward the school and student population of young Black women. She remained involved in abolition and civil rights causes through her life.

Smith escaped slavery in Virginia and became free in Philadelphia. He eventually moved to Norwich, where he was a minister and businessman. He also wrote an autobiography in 1881.

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“They embodied the spirit of resilience,” Bowles said.

Smith is also depicted on a mural on the Market Street Garage, completed earlier this year. It's part of a series of murals in multiple towns that showcases historical civil rights leaders, including local ones.

Experienced muralist takes on the job

Ben Keller, an experienced muralist with pieces on display as close as Willimantic, and all around the east coast, got involved when he was approached by mutual church friends, as Keller attends church in Farmington.

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Keller prefers working from high resolution photographs, so he needed to recreate the likenesses of Smith and Harris Fayerweather. Harris Fayerweather was modeled by Olivia Langford, a descendant of Harris Fayerweather, wearing 19th century clothes borrowed from the Cromwell Historical Society.

casSmith was modeled by Castle Church Worship Leader Robenson Charlotin. Charlotin said he feels a connection to Smith. Charlotin was born in Haiti, but left for Mexico and eventually came to Norwich, after the 2010 earthquakes. Charlotin noted that Smith was also a man of faith.

“He has a strong faith, which is the same kind of faith that drives me throughout my life,” Charlotin said.

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The final mural will feature Smith and Harris Fayerweather, but will also include motifs like roses, and a door in the middle.

Bowles said the door ties into Castle Church, as the depicted door is modeled after one from a castle in Germany, but it also represents a change in mentality toward downtown Norwich.

So far, it seems that people in Norwich like the project, including one woman in a truck Thursday asking Keller to paint her house, as he was working on the mural.

“Do you want to paint my house next?” she asked. “I have a whole entire brick wall and a whole side of the house ready.”

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As things progress, Keller wants his mural to uplift the community.

“At the end of the day, this is all love,” Keller said.

For Bowles, he hopes the progress this park makes impacts the rest of the downtown.

“Doing the work here will spark improvements across the city center,” Bowles said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Main Street and Broadway mural at Castle Church emerges downtown