The next time that you’re driving through Fredericktown on Route 88 along the mighty Monongahela River, take some time for a small detour. Travel down Ferry Street to the river launch and take in the recently unveiled mural, a tribute to the Fredericktown Ferry. The mural is part of the new park being developed by East Bethlehem Township.
The Art Club at California University of Pennsylvania was approached with the idea for the mural. Associate Professor and Co-Advisor for the Art Club, Todd Pinkham, says he and the club were provided with a rough idea and a document containing historic images that had been chosen for both sides of the underpass, located right before the launch. Todd’s creativity was sparked by the project. “The middle of the underpass was only suggested by the document,” he says, “so I created my own images from the historical photos provided.”
After the design and layout were finalized, work on the actual mural was ready to begin. On September 21, 2019, Todd went to work. Throughout the fall of 2019, he worked on Fridays from morning until afternoon to complete the black outline. Initially, the CalU art students were a big part of the project. They were able to assist with some of the layout, but their participation was short-lived. “I was able to get the design done in black outline by November 8, but then we lost the weather,” shares Todd. “The weather changed and by spring, COVID hit.”
With the onset of the pandemic, Prof. Pinkham was on his own. During the spring, he painted in colors. It took about 16 sessions to cover both sides of the underpass. Each side is 85 feet by 14 feet.
The Fredericktown Ferry, or Fred as it was affectionately called, carried passengers across the Monongahela River from 1948-2013. Fred was retired in 2013 when Fayette and Washington counties deemed it no longer cost effective to operate the ferry, since a new bridge was in place connecting the counties. It was one of the last remaining cable driven ferries in the United States.
The Mon River Towns Program, an organization that provides funding to promote towns along the Monongahela River, donated $5,000 to the Cal U Art Club for the project.“I was working through the Mon River Towns Program and [director] Cathy McCollom. Then I was introduced to Mariann Kubacki, the East Bethlehem Township secretary, while I was working on site,” says Todd.
The mural was unveiled at an event held this past September which marked one year after the project began. The ceremony was attended by the East Bethlehem commissioners, Pam Snyder, and Mon River Towns Program and National Road Heritage Corridor officials. “I received a positive response at the opening and encouragement locally as I worked by the river,” Todd shares.
Todd, who resides in Murrysville, PA, is an only child who has been involved in art for most of his life. He has a BFA and an MFA in painting and teaches painting and foundation courses at CalU, where he has taught for the last 17 years. He is married to Julia Toner and has two daughters, Ava and Lana.
Painting the mural was not without a little bit of adventure. “I fell into the river once while working on it,” Pinkham said without offering any details.
