Coming into the southern entrance of Roanoke Avenue is now a visible reminder of the past and present history of the city.
This morning, Halifax County artist Napoleon Hill spread a roller over his latest work, a mural on 14th Street which recognizes the textile and paper mill history upon which Roanoke Rapids was founded.
The city's first mill.
The mural, commissioned by the Halifax County Arts Council and the Roanoke Avenue Business Alliance through a grant from the North Carolina Grassroots Arts Program, features the Rosemary mill, what is now KapStone and the first mill in the city, the United Industrial Company Mill.
“He's phenomenal,” RABA President Kim Simpson said of Hill. “I'm so glad it's come to fruition.”
Simpson said RABA and the arts council wanted something done for the southern entrance to the avenue. “The arts council worked with Napoleon and collaborated to get a grant for the mural.”
Sherry Wade, president of the arts council, said, “We wanted to support the local arts and preserve part of our history.”
The arts council and Hill pored through numerous black and white photographs, but the only photos missing were ones of the first mill, John Armstrong Chaloner's mill. It wasn't until the last minute that one came through.
The Rosemary Mill.
“It far surpassed our expectations,” Wade said of the mural. “The public comments have been positive. We really didn't have a lot showing our history at the southernmost entrance of the city.”
Wade said the goal now is to have a mural in every community of the county.
Janet Dixon, who came to meet Hill, said she wants to put one on one of her buildings in the 200 block of the avenue. “It would be great coming up from the mill past Food Lion.”
The acrylic based painting took Hill, who has other murals throughout the area and is working on painting rockfish for the Roanoke Valley Rocks promotion, three weeks to complete. “They gave me the suggestion and came up with a good theme.”
While Hill said it is sad to see the textile mills closed, he said there remains hope as KapStone continues to thrive. “As long as you're seeing smoke, you're still living.”
Roanoke Rapids City Councilwoman Suetta Scarbrough attended the event. “I'm here because of the textile mills,” she said, explaining her husband worked at the Roanoke Yarn Dye Plant. “I think it's wonderful. He's such a great artist. I'm impressed with his gift. It's a treasure.”
