A mural stretching more than 270 feet and tracing Wheaton's history from the prairie to the present was officially unveiled Saturday, Oct. 17, at the downtown pavilion near Main and Liberty streets.

Wheaton College Associate Professor of Art Jeremy Botts and former student Jeffrey Swider-Peltz, a 2018 graduate who now works as a visual artist in Chicago, co-designed the piece. The city and its Fine and Cultural Arts Commission selected the pair from a pool of applicants to create the mural for the nation's 250th anniversary, according to Wheaton College.


The mural sits adjacent to the existing "WHEATON" mural on the plaza of the Wheaton French Market pavilion. Together, the two murals read "Wheaton Your Hometown," Patch reported in an Oct. 13 preview of the event.

Painted in a style inspired by American Modernism, the work unfolds as a visual timeline from left to right. Sections highlight defining eras: Indigenous roots and frontier life, the arrival of the railroad, the Jazz Age, the Bicentennial period and into the present, according to Wheaton College. Blanchard Hall, which served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, is among the buildings featured.

"The vision from the city and the fine arts commission was for the mural to depict significant events in the history of Wheaton over the 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence," Botts said, according to Wheaton College. "Of course, Wheaton is not that old, so the beginning of our timeline begins with the prairie and indigenous, native elements."

The phrase "Your Hometown" is spelled out across the wall in typographic styles that change chronologically, from the 1770s to the present, Botts said. Viewers can walk the length of the mural and watch the lettering evolve alongside the history it depicts.

Swider-Peltz said the piece is meant to demonstrate patriotism by honoring the people and things that make Wheaton what it is, rather than leaning on stars-and-stripes imagery. He noted personal touches, including the logo of Cock Robin, the burger and ice cream shop he visited as a kid before Shane's Deli replaced it.

Three Wheaton College studio art alumnae helped paint the mural during June and July: Eunice Chong, class of 2024; MK Jones, class of 2025; and Carys Davis, class of 2026. Botts' college-aged daughter, Cora, also assisted.

Botts taught Swider-Peltz in the first class he led at Wheaton 17 years ago. The mural is the longest Swider-Peltz has completed. Swider-Peltz has previous mural work in Wheaton, including commissions at the Wheaton College Conservatory and Five & Hoek Coffee Co., according to his portfolio site.

The mural is viewable anytime at the downtown Wheaton pavilion at Main and Liberty streets.