HMM

The Hunter Memorial Mural is more than “a mural project”. The goal of the project is to extend the artistic process in ways that explore and tell the story of East Chattanooga’s past, present and future through a visual medium. By doing so, the project will also serve as a lasting tribute to honor Mr. W.C. and Mrs. Claudine Hunter pillars of the African American community in East Chattanooga. W. C. Hunter was a trailblazer, in the early 2000’s. He purchased the Walden Hospital property, Chattanooga’s first and only African American teaching hospital. by doing so he was able to help preserve the legacy and importance of African American heritage, something he valued and understood so dearly . He was Chattanooga’s first African American to build a public amusement park, called Delaney Park, A park that was free for any person wanting to have a safe and fun environment for their family to enjoy. He also founded Hunter Mortgage, the first Black-owned mortgage company in the city. He created his original barbecue recipe Lay-Row-Catch-A-Mellow and built a bottling company, Southern Recipe Foods, to manufacture the sauce creating hundreds of jobs in the community. The Hunter’s supported global organizations and adopted countless children in other countries by donating funds to help build homes and dig wells that allowed villagers to have clean water. Being of service to others was their life-long motto. As envisioned, the mural will incorporate the use of bold and vibrant colors and feature people of all ethnic backgrounds, age and sexuality. By doing so, it will encourage immediate, face-to-face interactions between onlookers in ways that will let them experience the “like me’’ spirit embedded in the mural’s imagery.