The history and pride of Matthews, Indiana are embodied in the Matthews mural, shown below. Designed by artist Abby Braswell in 2021 in collaboration with the Matthews Area Chamber and PhyXTGears Robotics, the mural was the result of months of planning and community involvement. The mural is one of the largest in Indiana, measuring 100′ x 15′. The mural faces north and is located on Massachusetts Ave. on the North side of town. Entering Matthews from the North, the mural comes into view on your right.
Covered Bridge
On the left is Matthews’ signature landmark, the Cumberland Covered Bridge. The Covered Bridge has a long and storied history as shown in the images below.
History
The Covered Bridge History is recorded on the plaque below.
Original Covered Bridge around 1900.
1913 Flood
The 1913 Flood washed the bridge downstream. It was eventually reinstalled.
Covered bridge today.
Replica
This stunning exact replica of the bridge can be found in the Matthews Historical Museum.
The Wonder City
In 1903 the Matthews area was known as The Wonder City as shown on this drawing. With a recorded population of 120,000, huge tent cities housed workers that flocked to the region for jobs in industries fueled by an abundant supply of natural gas.
New Cumberland
This is a picture of New Cumberland around 1900. On the map above it is located adjacent to the Town of Matthews.
Matthews, Early 20th century
In the early 20th century, Matthews was a bustling city. The wide main street was a sign of the prosperity of the times. The wide main street through Matthews, Massachusetts Ave. still exists today.
Matthews Mural, Early 20th Century
At the turn of the 20th century, Matthews was a thriving city with industry fueled by an abundant supply of natural gas represented by the drilling derrick. Industries that required this energy included glass, brick and steel.
Gas Boom, Early 20th Century
Picture from the gas boom days of the early 20th century. This picture shows gas wells in the Marion, IN area, typical of the drilling activity in the region.
Workers in the Gas Fields
Men who worked in the gas fields were a tough breed, as seen in this picture.
Dangerous Work
Drilling wells was hard work, and incredibly dangerous.
Never Ending Resource?
Gas was abundant and people thought the supply would never end. You can see a huge gas flare next to a drilling rig in this image.
Railroad
The train tracks signify a rail center for transportation of goods, plus an interurban rail service connecting surrounding communities.
Industry
The two main industries were glass and brick. You can see the brick pattern in the background, and the glass chimney atop the oil lamp in the center of the mural.
Glass Manufacturing
Glass making was hot and dangerous work. These are pictures from inside the Kauffeld glass plant.
More glass factories pictured below.
Brick & Barrel Manufacturing
These are pictures of brick and barrel manufacturing activity in Matthews.
Clay Pot Manufacturing
Another industry that was part of Matthews was the clay pot factory which was in business from about 1902 until 1915.
Steel Industry
Steel was also an industry fueled by natural gas. This is a picture of the Armor Steel and Foundry plant from 1901.
Present Day Matthews
Present day main street, Massachusetts Ave., features the Matthews Feed and Grain silos.
Church
The vital spiritual life of the community is represented by the church image which combines visual features of local places of worship.
Numerous churches have served, and continue to serve the spiritual needs of the Town of Matthews.
You can see the distinctive window design of the First Community Church featured in the mural.
Murdobbers Motorcycle Club
The Muddobbers Motorcycle Club is shown at the top right of the mural. The Muddobbers have a long history of competition and fun events. They are one of the oldest motorcycle clubs in the country, dating back to the 1950s.
Below are pictures of Muddobber races dating back to the early days of competition in the 1950s.
This is a picture of motorcyclists from 1915. Could this be some early Muddobbers?
PhyXTGears Robotics
The first question people ask when viewing the mural is: “What is 1720?” The answer is that it is the team number for the PhyXTGears Robotics Team. They are members of the international FIRST Robotics organization.
At the right of the mural is the depiction of a robot from PhyXTGears Robotics Team number 1720, which is a member of international FIRST Robotics. The club is housed in the North section of the mural building at 625 Massachusetts Ave. You can reach them at https://phyxtgears.org. They also have programs for high school students and younger.
FIRST Robotics International
The robotics team participates in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) which has four different levels, Junior FLL, FLL, FTC, and FRC. The FRC division, which is for high schoolers has six weeks to build a fully functional robot. Over the years they have won numerous awards in international competitions. See the long list of awards at https://phyxtgears.org/awards/.
Students are working on a robot at PhyXTGears in Matthews.
Farming Community
The corn stalks and wheat across the mural are a salute to the local farming community.
Farmers Co-Op
This is a picture of some early tractors at the Farmers Co-Op around 1932.
Community Organizations
Several vital community organizations are represented on the mural.
The Lions Club hosts the annual Covered Bridge Festival and many other community activities. While Lauren Belcher was painting the detail of the Lions logo on the mural she discovered something interesting. Look closely, and you will notice that the two lions are different.
The Matthews Area Chamber was instrumental in organizing and executing the mural project.
The Volunteer Fire Department serves and protects the community.
Matthews Volunteer Fire Department
The Matthews Volunteer Fire Department has a long and proud history.
Matthews Mural Sponsors
This mural would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors.
• Matthews Feed and Grain
• Johnson Oil
• Donation in honor of the Matthews Volunteer Fire Department
• Grant County Visitors Bureau
• AmeriRent Equipment
• Taylor University
• Muddobbers Motorcycle Club
• Matthews Lions Club
• Matthews Area Chamber
• East Central Indiana Robotics
• Roger & Amy Richards
• Jim & LaRea Slater
Contributors
The following people contributed to painting the mural in August of 2021.
Abby Braswell – Taylor University Graduate
Kate Turner – Taylor University Graduate
Katie Gillenwater – Taylor University Student
Lauren Belcher – Taylor University Student
Bailey Spiegel – Taylor University Student
Liz Carrier – Taylor University Graduate
Frank Braswell – father of Abby Braswell
Volunteers
The following people volunteered time to help paint the mural.
Julie Turner – mother of Kate Turner
Brenda White – friend of Kate Turner
Linnea Smith – cousin of Kate Turner
Carter Wierienga – cousin of Kate Turner
