Jacksonville mural to highlight Underground Railroad, target June completion

Downtown Jacksonville is getting a new mural that is meant to do more than fill a wall. The $15,000 project will cover the side of the Rammelkamp law office building across from the Morgan County Courthouse, putting Underground Railroad history on one of the city’s most visible blocks and giving the courthouse square a stronger public-facing identity.

Jacksonville Main Street received the grant from the Illinois Arts Council as part of a $325,000 statewide package for 22 public-art projects tied to commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Artist Scott Lindley has already begun work on the mural, which is expected to be finished sometime in June, with a hope that it will be ready by Juneteenth.

Judy Tighe, who leads Jacksonville Main Street, said Lindley has been talking with local groups including the NAACP, the Jacksonville Museum Board and Woodlawn Farm to shape the design and historical content. That local input matters because the mural is being built around a story already central to Jacksonville’s identity: the city’s tourism material says Jacksonville recognizes nine Underground Railroad locations and describes the town as a mid-1800s hub that sheltered hundreds of freedom seekers.

The location is as important as the subject. A mural across from the courthouse can change how the block feels at street level, turning a plain side wall into a landmark that gives pedestrians and drivers a reason to slow down, look around and stay downtown a little longer. For businesses nearby, that can mean more foot traffic. For visitors, it adds another stop in a part of town already tied to history and civic life.

Jacksonville already has examples of public art being used to spotlight local history downtown, including the Dr. Alonzo Kinniebrew mural. This project fits that pattern while extending it into Black history and the Underground Railroad, a story reinforced by other local sites and programs. Woodlawn Farm describes itself as a living museum in rural Morgan County that celebrates Underground Railroad history, and the Jacksonville Area Museum is hosting Journey to Freedom: Illinois’ Underground Railroad from Looking for Lincoln.

For daily downtown life, the change is straightforward: a well-placed mural, backed by public money and local historical input, should make the courthouse block more welcoming, more walkable and more memorable.