MURALS all over Carleton Place!
Carleton Place is certainly scenic – both in its natural beauty and its cultural attributes. One scenic feature of the landscape is an abundance of murals. Check out how this town’s history has been depicted in this compelling and artistic way. Take a walk and see them all!
When you tour the murals in Carleton Place, you’ll get a glimpse of the vibrant history and culture of this Mississippi town. Get your phone ready – these are Instagram shots just waiting to happen! Find these murals and more peppered throughout Carleton Place.
Chewing Plug Tobacco
136 Bridge Street
The remains of an advertising mural for Chewing Plug Tobacco can be seen painted on the brick wall in the narrow alleyway to the left of this building.
Albert Street Streetscape
61 Bridge Street
This mural was painted in 2008 by Shaun McGinnis to bring life to the blank side wall of a cinderblock building.
Last train to Carleton Place/Edwards Grocery Store
Corner of Coleman Street and Franktown Road
This mural depicts that last steam train to Carleton Place – #1226 – on Friday, January 8, 1960. Established in 1894, Edwards Grocery was located in this building until 1977.
Stompin’ Tom
17 Bridge Street
This mural honours country music star Stompin’ Tom Connors. Connors was a frequent performer at the adjacent Mississippi Hotel and was instrumental in saving the building from demolition in 1990.
Canadian Tire Covers
72 Bridge Street
This building housed a Canadian Tire franchise in the 1950s, owned and operated by Elmer McIntyre.
This mural depicting Canadian Tire catalogue covers is changed seasonally by the building’s owners.
Queens Hotel
142 Bridge Street
Built in 1870, this building has been in almost continuous use since as a hotel and bar. Look for the “Queens” sign painted near the roofline on the left side wall of the hotel.
Taylor’s
159 – 167 Bridge Street
The Taylor family owned this three-storey, red brick block, operating a hardware store and garage between 1888 and 1930. The painted advertisements on the Mill Street façade were repainted in 2010.
Roy Brown
220 Bridge Street
This mural was painted in 2012 by Shaun McGinnis and commemorates the famous WWI air battle between Captain A. Roy Brown of Carleton Place and Baron Manfred Von Richthofen (The Red Baron). The Red Baron’s plane was shot down on April 21, 1918 and the fatal shots attributed to Brown.
Town Hall Square Murals
Mill Street
These six murals were completed in 2014 and depict aspects of Carleton Place history:
- The Ballygiblin Riots took place on this site in 1824 and involved fighting between Protestant settlers and Irish Catholic immigrants.
- The First Nations peoples harvested wild rice on nearby Mississippi Lake.
- The late 1800s saw many steam ships on the Mississippi River. Many were working boats, but also popular were excursions to the summer resorts at Lake Park and Innisville.
- The Carleton Place Canoe Club is the oldest continuously operating club in Canada, formed in 1893 and producing many award-winning paddlers.
- Logging was the first industry in Carleton Place, and many sawmills were built on the banks of the Mississippi River in town.
- The mural at 75 Mill St. was painted in 2013 and depicts Gerald Hastie, a falconer, on the banks of the Mississippi River with his falcon perched on his arm.
Findlay’s Foundry
176 Bridge Street
This mural commemorates the Findlay Foundry and overlooks the now vacant site of the vast ironworks just across the Mississippi River. David Findlay founded the ironworks in 1860 and it grew to be the main industry in Carleton Place, operating until the mid-1970s.
Patterson and Sons
Riverside façade, 176 Bridge Street
William Patterson ran his furniture and undertaking business here beginning in the mid-1890s and the building remained in the family until 1976. The sign was repainted in 2010.
Windows to the Past
267 Edmund Street, behind the Museum.
The Mississippi Mudds mural
This delightful image highlights the long running amateur theatre group in Carleton Place and is fun, flirty, and colourful – just the right combination for an Instagram shot. Find it at 18 Mill St.
Now, there’s more! Also check out the Chamber Anniversary Mural and Wandering Wayne Tribute Mural. Visit the website for a full list of murals and where to find them at carletonplace.ca.
Carleton Place & Beckwith Heritage Museum
267 Edmund St.
613-253-7013
www.cpheritagemuseum.com
Railway Memorabilia at the Wool Growers
142 Franktown Rd.
613-257-2714
www.realwoolshop.ca
Roy Brown Museum and Information Centre
170 Bridge St.
613-257-1976
www.captroybrown.ca
