Along the banks at the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto rivers in southern Ohio, murals seamlessly blend into their surroundings, their muted colors echoing the tones of the buildings and landscape
around them.
These paintings turned a barrier once considered an eyesore into one of the largest public art displays in the United States — a nearly half-mile-long outdoor gallery documenting Portsmouth and the people who have occupied the area for more than 2,000 years.
Robert Dafford, the original muralist, spends several months each year in Portsmouth, updating the murals and painting new ones.
The murals are more than just public art; they’re a symbol of resilience. Once a bustling center for steel and shoe manufacturing, Portsmouth saw its fortunes plummet with the collapse of those industries. The floodwall, built after a 1937 flood that devastated the city, stood for decades as a bleak reminder of what was lost.
An emotional boost
The idea for murals originated in the early 1990s, when local doctor Lewis R. Chaboudy visited Steubenville on a motor coach tour with AAA, saw that town’s outdoor murals, and knew right away he wanted something similar in Portsmouth.
In 1993, Chaboudy and others formed Portsmouth Murals Inc., a nonprofit organization with an ambitious mission: to turn Portsmouth’s history into public art that would uplift the city.
Robert Dafford, a Louisiana-based muralist known for his historical realism, was invited to take on the project. Initially, the plan was to create just a few panels, but the scope quickly expanded. “We realized Portsmouth’s story couldn’t be told in two or three murals,” Dafford says.
Over the next three decades, he created 75 murals, covering 20,000 square feet. His artworks chronicle the evolution of Portsmouth from its Shawnee roots to its industrial boom and celebrate its role as the hometown of professional athletes and trailblazing Black musicians.
Each mural was meticulously researched, with Dafford working closely with historians and community members to ensure the accuracy of the images.
An economic boost…
Beyond their beauty and historical significance, Portsmouth’s murals have helped to reshape the local economy. Along with uplifting the community, Chaboudy and the others in the nonprofit also thought the murals might attract visitors to the sleepy Ohio River town.
And oh, the visitors. Retirees and art lovers arrive by the busload, along with individual travelers who are drawn in by signage on the surrounding highways.
“They’re an anchor for the city,” says Nate Welch, executive director of the Portsmouth-Scioto County Visitors Bureau. “Visitors come for the murals and end up exploring downtown, eating at restaurants, and shopping in local stores.”
But while it was always assumed the murals would bolster Portsmouth’s tourism and hospitality industries, they’ve unexpectedly aided in developing an entirely new industry: art itself. While Dafford is the primary artist, maintaining the murals has become a community effort.
…in more ways than one
For local painter Mike Doherty, these walls became a career. At 18, through a friend’s connection, he joined Dafford’s renowned team, initially assisting with tasks like painting borders and filling in colors. Over time, Doherty honed his skills, developing an eye for color mixing and large-scale compositions. Doherty spent more than a decade working with Dafford around the country, and has painted murals in Raising Cane’s franchises in more than 30 states. He has become primary caretaker of the murals in between Dafford’s yearly summer visits.
“The murals are huge,” Doherty explains. “Concrete expands and contracts, and paint fades. Every year, there’s something to fix — cracks, chipping, or faded colors.” He also applies protective clear coats to shield the murals from weather and ultraviolet rays, all while balancing his work as a house painter. “It’s not always glamorous,” he admits, “but it’s rewarding.”
Funding for maintenance is a constant challenge. Most of the support comes from small donations, grants, and events like the city’s annual Baseball Banquet, which features baseball greats. While grants from organizations like the Appalachian Regional Commission and assistance from the Scioto Foundation have helped, much of the work relies on volunteers and local generosity.
A new generation
Dafford’s work has inspired a new generation of muralists, who are now painting just a street over, expanding the city’s public art footprint into restaurants and other businesses. Elsewhere, the city’s Trillium Project provides a place for public painting and sponsors Second Glance, a grassroots revitalization program hinged on public art.
Themes like the city’s role in the Underground Railroad are planned for the future. And a $34.2 million riverfront redevelopment grant will further integrate the murals into Portsmouth’s landscape; plans include an amphitheater, updated pathways, and new docks to draw river traffic.
For Dafford, who grew up in Louisiana, becoming a muralist was unimaginable. “I didn’t know you could be an artist like this,” he says. So he also makes a point of working with educators and students, ensuring that young people in Portsmouth see art as a viable career.
“There’s an entire generation in Portsmouth that’s grown up with the murals,” he says. “For them, public art is part of their reality — it’s always been here.”
An immersive audio and visual tour of the Portsmouth Floodwall Murals is available on the Portsmouth Murals App, which can be found in the App Store and Google Play. The app includes an audio guided tour and written content that provide historical background and artistic commentary for each mural panel; rich and detailed digital images of the murals; historic photographs and contextual imagery; embedded web links to relevant resources; and a map that allows visitors to explore the entire community.
