Newtonia mural unveiling held

The official unveiling of Carthage artist Sherry Pettey's mural of the city of Newtonia was held this afternoon in the Newtonia Community Building.

Longtime Newtonia resident Tom Higdon, an expert on the city's history, opened the ceremony with an explanation of each of the different scenes depicted on the mural, often calling on 87-year-old David Weems for information particularly on the city's only gunfight, which occurred in 1909.

Weems and Higdon were among those pictured on the mural, as were Kay Hively, who is largely responsible for the movement to preserve the city's Civil War battlefields, and my parents, Bill and JoAnn Turner.

Among the things and people depicted on the mural are the Civil War battles, the Ritchey Mansion, Gum Mercantile, Ted Arnall's Barber Shop, the old school, with Nan Williams teaching, Gail Elery, Vernie Browning, the Battlefield Protection Association, the Baptist and Methodist churches, and most recently, the May 2008 tornado that destroyed 20 homes and ended up decreasing the city's population by more than 50.