Westerville 250th Murals - Footprints Across Time - Artist Jill Chronister
Westerville’s Gathering Places: Footprints Across Time
Footprints Across Time traces the changing places where Westerville residents have gathered for entertainment, celebration, and community life.
Artist Jill Chronister moves the viewer through several eras of local history. The mural begins with the excitement of the Westerville fairgrounds, where crowds once gathered for races, exhibitions, performances, contests, and hot-air balloon rides. An electric trolley then leads toward the glowing attractions of Minerva Amusement Park, linking the arrival of new transportation to a new form of public recreation.
Westerville’s fair operated from 1871 to 1906 on 30 acres east of what is now Whittier Elementary School. The grounds included exhibition halls, a half-mile racetrack, bicycle and foot races, trained animal shows, brass bands, and other attractions. One unusual piece of local lore dates to 1892, when a racehorse named Rowdy Boy died after a heat and was buried in the center of the track.
Minerva Amusement Park and Casino operated from 1895 to 1902 on land that later became the village of Minerva Park. Built to encourage ridership on the electric railway between Columbus and Westerville, the park featured a lake with rowboats, a roller coaster, a carousel, a dance pavilion, a theater, a zoo, gardens, and other attractions.
Chronister’s mural is not simply about places that disappeared. It reflects how the same land can take on new purposes while continuing to bring people together. Fairs, amusement parks, neighborhoods, restaurants, and other gathering places may look different across generations, but the desire for connection and belonging remains.
Footprints Across Time is located at North High Brewing, 250 S. State St., on the far-left wall of the front exterior.
As part of the Westerville 250 Mural Project, the mural reminds viewers that community history is shaped not only by major events but also by the places where people met, celebrated, and made memories together.
Because this post is public, you’re encouraged to share it on social media.
The Westerville News is a reader-supported publication by Gary Gardiner, a lifelong journalist who believes hyper-local reporting is the future of news. This publication focuses exclusively on Westerville—its local news, influence on Central Ohio, and how surrounding areas shape the community.
