Hickory's past making a comeback

Friday, September 22, 2006

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

HICKORY -- It's been more than six decades since Roger Cooke, 65, created his first mural - a crayon piece scrawled above his bed.

His father didn't appreciate his 2-year-old son's artistic talents much then, but now, in Hickory's Union Square, Cooke is still decorating walls. And people are loving it.


"It's really neat," said 9-year-old Cameron Amos. "It shows how they used to live and how they traveled."
Cameron's favorite part? The Piedmont Wagon.

"I like horses and watching people ride them," Cameron said during a field trip to the mural with his Oakwood Elementary third-grade class.

Cooke is nearly finished with the 25-by-34-foot mural. He expects to finish the project next week, and the city is planning a reception to unveil the completed project during the Sept. 28 art crawl.

The horses, Cooke said, are his favorite, too.

"They were most fun," he said of the six panels, which also depict the Hickory Tavern, a historic view of Union Square, the Southern Railroad, the Huffrey Hotel and workers in front of the Hickory Manufacturing Co.

Four prominent Hickory residents - principal E.T. Moore, merchant Alex Shuford, newspaper publisher Lester Clark Gifford and manufacturer Alfred Moretz - are also featured in the mural.

Bambi Small, Cameron's teacher, says the mural not only allows her students to bring their parents downtown and share what they are learning but teaches the children about history, math and reading, as well.

Cooke, an Oregon-based artist, has been painting the mural on the west-facing wall of the Deitz & Taylor Jewelry Store in Union Square since Aug. 29. And after three years of planning, city officials are pleased with the way it's turning out.

"It's a wonderful gift to the community," said Beth Watts, a member of the city's public art commission. "It's a great way for Hickory to embrace its history."


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