The Heart of Heatherbrook

Marshall, Michigan 2007

Thousands of people traveling interstate I-94 every day near Marshall, Michigan, see this mural, "The Heart of Heatherbrook" Just west of the I-94 and I-69 interchange, the mural represents the talents of the Battle Creek Society of Artists, working under the leadership of professional muralist Tony Hendrick, Grand Ledge, Michigan. It is funded by a grant from the Calhoun County Arts & Industry Council.

The mural is mounted to the very barn which appears in its center because, the barn was at one time the heart of a thriving fruit farm known as Heatherbrook. Terms of the grant required that the work must be done by volunteers, represent the shared ideas and energies of all involved, and capture local history. The only thing I asked as project "instigator" (coordinator) was that the Heatherbrook barn be in the image. The first meeting of volunteers was held in March 2007 in a workshop near the barn at the Larry and Phyllis Wohlscheid property and by June it was unveiled before a crowd of more than 200 admirers. Visitors are welcome to drive onto the property for a close look. (15596 Fifteen Mile Road, Marshall.)

In 2019, Tony Hendrick, lead artist for the Heart of Heatherbrook mural, removed the weather-beaten panels from the barn and restored them. The beautiful mural was back in place, just days before Barn Believers Project Fund, held its 2019 concert and silent auction at the barn. It is seen each day by thousands of motorists traveling I-94 near Marshall, Michigan.