In 2022, the West Concord Junction Cultural District Committee celebrated West Concord's industrial history as a vibrant, multicultural, entrepreneurial factory and mill town. A new 24' x 8' full-color grand mural designed by SCJCDC member Edward Feather and painted by Edward and a team of West Concord artists can be enjoyed at its location on the side of 30 Beharrell Street facing the Post Office. The mural is the third in a planned series of five murals that are or will be displayed throughout West Concord.

Artist's Statement

Concord Junction in the Industrial Age

This mural depicts "The Junction" or "Concord Junction" or "West Concord" around 1900. While there are elements in the painting that date from earlier and later periods, the goal was to create a sort of collage of the industrial spaces, transportation, housing, shopping, and activities that helped West Concord grow as a town more than a century ago. With the crossing of four train lines at The Junction, more than 125 trains passed through the town daily, allowing businesses to manufacture and easily transport goods to other parts of the region and around the country. This highly active community played a robust part in the development of the area both for business and as a place to live.

We use large windows cut out from sides of buildings to look inside factories and experience manufacturing taking place. Inside and out, people of the town are shown working, playing, shopping, traveling, and socializing. Designing this mural was exciting and a wonderful learning experience as we dug into the history of the area. I am so happy to have been able to design this beautiful historic piece and to have such a wonderful and dedicated team to work with to bring it to life. - Edward Feather

In addition, the Fowler Library hosted the WCJCDC's exhibit of reproductions of historic photographs and a showing of a documentary, Rivers, Rails, and Revenues, about West Concord's industrial history produced in 2000 by Susan Erickson's fifth grade class. The Concord Visitors Center offered free historic walking tours on Discover West Concord Day while the Concord Conservatory of Music featured a related "Listening Project".

You are invited to download a brochure (WestConcordIndustryTourBrochure.pdf) leading you on a tour of historical industrial sites in West Concord.

This brief history (A-Brief-History-of-West-Concord-Industry.pdf) will tell you more about the people and industries that helped make West Concord the vibrant community it is today.

The Industry Project is presented by the West Concord Junction Cultural District Committee, with funding support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The project is also made possible by the generous West Concord community funding support of presenting sponsors Trashology and the Green Labs Recycling. This is also made possible by supporting sponsor Plug Power. Additional local support was provided from the Concord Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.