MILLERS FALLS — As Marco Correia walked up to the mural he recently completed, a crowd gathered for the artwork’s unveiling broke out in applause.
The mural, an image of one-time Boston Red Sox pitcher and Millers Falls resident Douglass Smith, was unveiled on Sunday morning on a Central Railroad bridge footing during a pop-up art event around the village.
Smith was born and raised in Millers Falls and attended Turners Falls High School. He went on to pitch in one game in 1912 for the Sox, before he was removed from the team because ownership received a letter saying that Smith had “black blood.” Smith was tri-racial, and was black, Native American and white.
Along with the image of Smith at the mound pitching, the mural has the phrase “What color is our blood?” in white lettering on red and black backgrounds, as well as a small paragraph explaining who he is and what happened.
Town Administrator Steve Ellis, Selectboard Chairman Rich Kuklewicz, Montague Police Chief Chip Dodge, Town Planner Walter Ramsey and Director of RiverCulture Suzanne LoManto were all present at Sunday’s event.
David Brule, a local historian and president of the Nolumbeka project, spoke on Sunday morning. He is Smith’s grand-nephew and wrote about the story of Smith in his biweekly column for the Montague Reporter, which is how Richard Widmer, director of The Millers Falls Art Bridge, heard about it.
Widmer and the Art Bridge, an organization that connects local artists and community, planned the mural, which will be on the footing of the Central Railroad bridge.
Widmer said the mural, which was sponsored by Republic Services, turned out better than he could have imagined. He thanked those in the town who helped secure funding and with contacting the railroad for permission.
“I just drive by and sit here sometimes, he just jumps right off the wall,” he said.
The footing was sanded and primed in summer of 2016 and Correia completed the mural this week.
Correia, an Amherst resident, is a junior at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and heard about the mural project through a friend of a friend.
He said one of the best parts of this project was the positive energy from those in town who brought him snacks and drinks while he was working.
“It makes me really happy receiving all this energy,” he said. “Especially because it’s so important to people here.”
Reach Miranda Davis at
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