Visitors heading into Historic Downtown Mocksville on Gaither Street are receiving a brightly-colored welcome. A new mural reminiscent of the postcards of the 1960s -70s offering “Greetings from Mocksville, NC” gleams from the back of The Station General Store & Taproom at 185 North Main.
Commissioned by Bryan and Suzanne Lakey, owners of The Station, which opened in June 2020, the 96 sq ft mural is the second to grace downtown Mocksville in the last six months.
The inspiration for the mural came from an old postcard that Suzanne’s mom, Kathy Miller, found in the Davie County Public Library’s online archives while searching for old photos of the building to use as part of The Station’s decor.
“Bryan and I knew that we wanted a mural somewhere and when we saw the postcard I knew that it had to be it,” said Suzanne Lakey. After The Station was up and running, she turned to local artist, Bruce White, owner of Wild Mountain Designs and Art, for assistance.
White has painted nine murals in Davie County over the last thirteen years. He recently completed a mural at Davie Community Park depicting aspects of the park which was commissioned by the Leadership Davie Class of 2020. His murals can also be found in the Davie County Public Library, Central Davie Academy, The Feed Bag Restaurant in Historic Farmington, and the former United Way building.
After receiving the postcard and doing some additional research, he went to work on the design and painted a small canvas to show her what it would look like. While the original postcard featured iconic landmarks from across the state, White customized his design specifically to Mocksville. Embedded in the bold letters of the word Mocksville are mini-scenes reflecting Mocksville both past and present. Starting from the left you’ll see the courthouse, The Station back when it was a gas station, the fountain and clock in Main Street Park, the original train depot with the first train to come to Mocksville, and one of the town’s willow oaks in all of its glory. A willow oak branch graces the bottom right-hand corner.