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The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

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Union Mural

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SC Picture Project / Union County / Union Mural

Many South Carolinians associate native artist Blue Sky with his popular public murals and sculptures in downtown Columbia, such as Tunnel Vision and Busted Plug. Yet his dramatic works can be viewed in other parts of the state, such as this trompe l’oeil painting in Union titled Union Mural.

Union Mural

F. Everett Leigh of Union, 2016 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The mural, begun in 2007 and installed in 2008, depicts a train transporting textiles for Union Cotton Mills. Completed in 1894, Union Cotton Mills was the first textile mill in Union County and the first in South Carolina designed by noted textile mill engineer William Burroughs Smith Whaley. His design firm, W.B. Smith Whaley and Company, is responsible for 15 new textile mills or major renovations and additions to existing mills in the state, including nearby Buffalo Mill, Newry Mill (also called Courtenay Mill) in Oconee County, and Granby Mill in Columbia.

Union Mills Blue Sky

Susan Buckley of Charleston © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Blue Sky, a Columbia native, University of South Carolina alumnus, and recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, captures the spirit of the booming textile industry in the late nineteenth century in the above mural. It is painted on the back of a downtown building which has been occupied by various businesses over the years. Though the building faces Main Street, the mural actually can be seen behind the building on Sharpe Avenue.

Reflections on the Union Mural


Contributor F. Everett Leigh says: “In 2007, the famed artist and muralist Blue Sky visited Union and put his magic brushes on the rear wall of a Main Street building to recognize and honor the role of textiles and the railroad in Union’s rich history.”

Add your own reflections here.

Plan Your Trip: Union Mural

Where is Union Mural located?
Address: Sharpe Avenue, Union, SC 29379
GPS Coordinates: 34.715720,-81.624004
What else should I see?
Downtown Union 0.1 mile
Thurmond Building 0.1 mile
Union County Courthouse 0.1 mile
Union County Jail 0.2 mile
Show me more like this!
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    Union Mural Map

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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