Town of Trenton, Wi – A new mural inside Trenton Town Hall is capturing the attention of taxpayers. The mural is a window into the town’s soul, where photos carry the weight of generations and quiet pride is rooted in every detail.
“Somebody walked in the other day to ask about a building permit. And the minute she walked in, she looked at the wall and she said, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s gorgeous,” said Town administrator Cindy Komro. “And the whole conversation, we were talking about the building permit, she kept coming back to it and said, ‘I just love it. It’s so amazing.’ She just couldn’t focus on anything else.”
That kind of response is exactly what Elizabeth Lipscomb hoped for. “My daughter, Anna Delbridge, and I designed this mural for the town and we wanted something to really have a strong impact when the citizens walked in to show the heritage of the Town of Trenton,” she said.
“So there’s a lot of different elements that were incorporated… the wonderful church and the farming… we have two rustic roads, I believe, in the town… just to represent the feel of the Town of Trenton.”
The mural layers each element with intention. “Something we knew we wanted… was the history of the farming of the town and the rural nature,” said Elizabeth Lipscomb. “I know my husband is the town chairman… he wanted to keep the town rustic and things that reflect that are the wildlife with the buck, and the cattails… and the farming aspects. There’s also the historical sites, which would be the St. Augustine Church, which is a beautiful landmark and special to our town.”
One of the most striking features lies beneath it all. “Something else that was incorporated, which I thought was really unique, is one of the early plat maps of the town,” Lipscomb said. “So that’s the background, and it’s fun to even see some of the names are residents that still live here now. And so that was kind of a neat element to include.”
“Oh, it’s beautiful. It is—it’s amazing,” Komro said. “I love that it demonstrates the feel of the town. Everybody who has seen it has said the same thing. I love that it’s like the first thing that you see when you walk in; it adds a pop to the whole place.”
Town Chairman Mike Lipscomb sees something even deeper in the imagery, especially in the historical details. “My favorite part is the plat map because it’s five generations of farmers,” he said. “I like the bales of hay because they’re actually done on Paradise Drive. I like the barn because I’m a barn guy. I’m trying to keep our historic buildings intact for the town.”
For him, the mural is more than art. It’s a reminder and a promise. “It encompasses the rural nature of the area. It’s kind of our background, our history,” Lipscomb said. “Everybody said they wanted Trenton to remain Trenton. So trying our best to keep it—and I think the best way to do that is to understand where we come from.”
