Drivers crossing into downtown Hatboro on York Road now pass beneath two brand-new murals stretching 81 feet along both sides of the Joseph J. Lannon Jr. Memorial Bridge at York and Horsham roads. The artwork, nearly two years in the making, folds the borough's colonial-era history into a splashy welcome sign for anyone rolling into town.
One side of the bridge spells out HATBORO in oversized letters, with each letter housing an illustration of a historic local landmark. According to Patch, historian Bill Tompkins of The Millbrook Society curated the list of building options, and Rotary Club members voted to select seven sites for the final design: Lehman Church, Hatboro Federal Savings, Hatboro Baptist Church, Loller Academy, Union Library of Hatboro, Pennypack Mill, and Cressbrook Home & Tannery. The opposite wall takes a different approach entirely, featuring an abstract wavy pattern that weaves in the official Hatboro borough seal, a top hat, and visual nods to the 1778 Revolutionary War Battle of Crooked Billet, as detailed by Great PA Schools.
Getting paint onto a state-owned bridge wasn't as simple as showing up with brushes. Because PennDOT owns the span, the Rotary Club of Hatboro couldn't apply for mural permissions on its own and instead had to coordinate with the Borough of Hatboro, which submitted the official application on the club's behalf, per the same report from Great PA Schools.
Students Get Their Hands Dirty
The mural wasn't a solo act for lead artist Sarah Fogg. Roughly 15 students from the Hatboro-Horsham High School National Art Honor Society spent three days handling concrete priming and base-layer color painting, working from a paint-by-number framework that Fogg designed, the outlet notes. The hours counted toward the students' NAHS community service requirements, giving teenagers a direct hand in shaping how their town greets visitors.
As reported by 6abc Philadelphia, Fogg said beautifying spaces with artwork matters, and she teamed up directly with the high schoolers to bring the project to life. Leah Ellert Micikas, an art teacher at Hatboro-Horsham High School, told the station that students enjoyed having people cheer them on and will remember contributing to the town's beautification for years to come.
Fogg brings a track record to the project. The Harrisburg-based art teacher and Penn State art education graduate has previously designed and painted public murals across Pennsylvania, including work in Harrisburg's Penbrook neighborhood, according to Sprocket Mural Works, as well as projects in Philadelphia.
An Idea Born From a Sister's Murals in Tennessee
The whole effort traces back nearly two years to former Rotary Club President Barbara Rudakevych, who was inspired by her own sister, a muralist based in Tennessee. Great PA Schools reports the project was conceived as a streetscape improvement meant to welcome new residents moving into downtown Hatboro's expanding apartment developments. Rudakevych told 6abc Philadelphia the mural welcomes newcomers and businesses while sharing Hatboro's identity with everyone who passes through.
The historic buildings tucked inside the mural lettering aren't just decorative choices. Loller Academy, built in 1812, houses the historic 1812 Isaiah Lukens tower clock and now serves as the Hatboro Municipal Building, according to The Millbrook Society. The Union Library of Hatboro, also depicted on the bridge, was established in 1755 and stands as the second-oldest library still operating under its original charter in Pennsylvania, per Great PA Schools.
Borough Celebrates the Finished Project
The Borough of Hatboro marked the completed murals with a public Party in the Park event on August 14 at the Pennypack Community Center, inviting residents to view the finished artwork and learn more about local community projects, according to the Hatboro-Horsham School District. For a borough riding a wave of downtown residential growth, the twin murals now stand as a permanent, hard-to-miss reminder of what came before the new apartment buildings — and a handmade welcome mat for whoever moves in next.
