The Walls That Talk

The Lincoln Parish Museum features 'The Walls That Talk,' a tour that pairs recordings with historical murals

By Casey Ardoin accent@thenewsstar.com

July 11, 2009

The Kidd-Davis House on Vienna Street in Ruston may look like any other home from the street corner, but a step inside reveals a rich history of Lincoln Parish.

Acquired from the Robert Wesley Davis family in 1964, the house is now home to the Lincoln Parish Museum and Historical Society, and along with numerous collections of the parish's history, features seven painted murals depicting important events.

"Each mural tells a story. They're here for a reason," said Margaret Anne Emory, director of the Lincoln Parish Museum.

Emory said the murals are the center of the museum's newest attraction, "The Walls That Talk," an audio recording of the murals' stories told by seven people with ties to each respective painting.

"Our stories are taken from actual photographs that were painted on the walls in 1978 by Louisiana Tech University art students under the direction of Nancy Marabella and Mary Moffett," she said.

Emory also said the photographs were taken from the late 1800s to early 1900s and were cast onto the walls using a projector. Using the projected image as a guideline, the students painted the scenes onto the walls.

While the murals have been in the museum for more than 30 years, Emory said the idea to create an attraction based on them is relatively new. She said while admiring the murals one day last year, she decided that their stories needed to be told.

"I thought, 'We can literally make the walls talk,'" said Emory. "First I started with research, and then last year for the Peach Festival, I recorded it myself with kids telling the stories."

She said although her original recording was a step in the right direction, she knew it needed refinement and turned to the community to help.

"Around December of last year, several citizens connected to make (the project a reality)" she said. "We just received a grant for the seven speakers."

The murals are painted along the main hallway of the house, and visitors are encouraged to admire the artwork while listening to the stories.

The first story is told by the late Jack Ritchie about a balloon ascension at Railroad Park in 1912. The mural shows a man in a hot air balloon floating above the crowd that gathered to watch.

Across the hall is the next mural featuring a peach orchard. Its story is told by Joe Mitcham, who explains the importance of the crop to the area. Mitcham's family started one of the first peach orchards in the parish and continues to harvest each year.

The third mural depicts life in historic Ruston and explains part of the history behind the museum itself. Told by Dorothy Kidd Nicol Clinton, the story explains how her great grandfather, Milton Bailey Kidd, moved to Ruston with his family and opened up a general store downtown.

"This house was built in 1886 by Milton Bailey Kidd," Emory said. "His family occupied this house until 1921, and his son, Emmet Leroy Kidd, sold the house to the Robert Wesley Davis family who lived here until 1964."

With two universities in close proximity, it's apparent that Lincoln Parish values education, and the fourth mural represented explains how learning took to the forefront of the area.

Trot Hunt tells the story of how his family purchased the Chautauqua property of Ruston in 1922. The Chautauqua movement, a widespread adult education movement in the 19th and 20th centuries, became popular with the people of Lincoln Parish.

Emory said black members of the community formed their own Chautauqua.

"We know there was a 'Black Chautauqua' in the Grambling area, and at that time, it was called the Allen Greene Community," she said. "Information is limited, but our research is ongoing."

She also said the Chautauqua paved the way for the founding of modern day universities.

"We know these Chautauquas were the forerunners to Louisiana Tech University and Grambling State University," Emory said. "To love and support both these universities shows that Lincoln Parish puts education first."

The next mural features an intersection in Ruston between the north-south railroad and the east-west railroad which made the city a hub for travel and commerce.

Billy Green, who was raised in the Kidd-Davis house after his family purchased it from the Kidd family in 1921, explains in his recording about his grandfather's lumber company just south of Ruston that greatly depended on the two railroads.

The sixth mural illustrates Lincoln Parish entertainment during the early 1900s. Pat Smith tells the story of the racetrack his grandfather built on what is now Tech Farm in Ruston. Harness and sulky races were run each Sunday afternoon, and citizens wagered high amounts on the horses.

The final mural portrays the landscape and natural resources of Lincoln Parish. A true sportsman's paradise, the parish is home to wildlife and waterways that continue to draw visitors from across the state.

Larkin Hudson Norton tells the history of the parish, which was created by taking land from the corners of four bordering parishes in 1873 and explains the importance of its natural resources.

Emory, who lives near the Kidd-Davis house and walks or rides her bike to work each morning, said the murals represent a piece of Lincoln Parish history and is part of the museum she will continue to treasure.

"Each mural that I researched increased my interest in this community and my determination to share all the information with (the public)," Emory said. "My hope is that (people) leave this museum wanting to know more about (their) own parish and community wherever it may be."