Last week, the director of the Dowagiac Area History Museum unveiled the plans that he and others in the community have been brewing up to make another important aspect of our local history come alive before our eyes.

Director Steve Arseneau shared with city council last Monday that the museum was working with Cassopolis artist Ruth Andrews to create a massive mural about the historic Orphan Train and its connection with the city in Dowagiac’s downtown district. The committee responsible for the project is looking to create the mural on the side of the massive concrete wall next to the local post office building, which faces Pennsylvania Avenue.

In addition, Arseneau is hoping to bring in some additional programming to celebrate the history of the Orphan Train, including a reunion for descendants of riders of the trains and a website about the history of the program.

To fund the project, organizers are looking to apply for $12,100 worth of grant money from the Michigan Humanities Council — meaning the city, which oversees operations of the museum — will be off the hook for helping to fund the project.

The Orphan Train — a program that relocated orphaned children living on the east coast to rural areas of the Midwest that ran from 1854 and 1929 — is an important part of Dowagiac’s history. Our city was actually the first stop of the inaugural train in 1854, a fact that our community still celebrates today.

While Arseneau said the project, if funded, would not be completed until next year, we are already excited about the potential it has to enhance our already breathtaking downtown.

With all the work that is currently taking place on Commercial Street to enhance the appearance of that area, a giant, vibrant mural is sure to enhance the aesthetics of the area even more.

As the city’s array of statues has demonstrated, public art goes a long way in not only enhancing the look of our community but also cultivating a love locally for the humanities, in young and old alike. This mural will play a big role in continuing that trend as well.

Finally, as big fans of what the museum does for our community, we are excited to see that their mission of informing others about the rich history of Dowagiac will proceed in spectacular form, in a manner everyone can easily witness.

We want to thank Arseneau and others working on this project, and we hope they can get to work as soon as possible because we cannot wait to see what they have in store.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.