THE MARVELOUS MURALS OF PUNTA GORDA

By Gabriele Walkow

Rich in history, culture and color, these murals tell powerful stories

With temperatures and humidity falling to more comfortable levels, this is the perfect time of year to take a self-guided walking or biking tour of Punta Gorda’s stunning murals. Vibrant and steeped in storytelling, the 32 murals preserve the rich history of the Punta Gorda area.

Free walking/biking guides are available around town, including the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce and area hotels. These guides provide mural locations and a map, or visitors can download the mural map at their website. Each mural wall contains a QR code that can be scanned by your smart phone or tablet to access information about the mural, the artist and the scene depicted. Established as a non-profit in 1995, the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society (PGHMS) is the driving force behind the preservation of Punta Gorda’s history through its creation of public murals. “The murals are considered a cherished Punta Gorda treasure,” said Kelly Gaylord, president, Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society. “Thanks to strong community support over the past 27 years, the society has created a visual roadmap of the area’s local history with its murals.”

The first mural, the Hotel Charlotte Harbor, was finished in September 1995 and dedicated the next month. With the first mural completed, the organization was off and running.

Movie Memories was originally completed in 2000 but then destroyed by Hurricane Charley in 2004. It was recreated at its new location in 2009

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Located at Laishley Park Municipal Marina, Captivating Charlotte County is a colorful depiction of what lies below and above the water line in Charlotte Harbor

Each mural captures a slice of local history and often includes key individuals. For example, the End of the Line mural features town founder Isaac Trabue, who was instrumental in getting the railroad built to Punta Gorda. The town prospered when the railroad arrived, and it was the “end of the line” for the west coast of Florida from 1886 until 1904.

Work on the newest mural, Boating in Paradise, was completed in July. It depicts the 70-plus year history of Punta Gorda’s first boat club.

Interestingly, artist Keith Goodson painted the mural onto mural cloth. This technology allows the artist to paint the mural in the studio. The society has used this new technique on its last three murals. For this mural, aluminum panels were installed on the front exterior of the Punta Gorda Boat Club, and then the painted mural cloth was installed on the aluminum.

In addition, the society offers History Classes and Mural Walking Tours. Learn more about the Mural Program and the rich local history of the area by attending a class or taking a tour. Classes are taught throughout the year and guided Walking Tours are offered from January to March. Each tour is limited to 12 participants, so register early through the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on the marvelous murals of Punta Gorda, visit their website. puntagordamurals.org

Peace River Panorama

DID YOU KNOW? The Punta Gorda murals are part of the much larger Florida Mural Trail, where artists from small towns to big cities are using blank walls as their creative canvases.