54th Infantry Mural Will Be Permanent in Pittsfield's Durant Park / Pittsfield.com

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A mural honoring Black city residents who fought in the Civil War will be a permanent fixture at Durant Park.

On Tuesday, the Parks Commission approved the Westside Legends' project pending approval from the Conservation Commission. The mural "Pride of the Westside" was first revealed during the Juneteenth celebrations and will soon be mounted in the park.

President Tony Jackson explained it is "specifically for the 14 soldiers that fought in the war, and we want to make them an iconic hero for our neighborhood." It is one of two that will honor the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the other on College Way.

"These are people from our neighborhood, and we had nothing in Pittsfield to honor them," he said.

"And I come to find out five years ago that I'm one of the descendants of one of the people that fought in the war."

The 54th Mass was the second Black regiment raised during the Civil War (the 1st Kansas was formed two months earlier) and a priority of Gov. John Andrew and abolitionist supporters. These soldiers would prove their bravery not only in battle but against the discrimination and bigotry they faced, and harsh treatment or execution if captured. By the end of the Civil War, nearly 180,000 Black soldiers had seen service in the Union army.

The regiment's establishment in 1863 and its heroic actions at Fort Wagner in South Carolina were dramatized in the film "Glory" starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick, as Col. Robert Gould Shaw. Shaw and his troops are memorialized across from the State House in a bronze relief by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

Frederick Douglass' two sons were among its recruits and Pittsfield's the Rev. Samuel Harrison of Second Congregational Church was its chaplain.

This project was a collaboration with NAACP Berkshires, ROPE Pittsfield, and the Samuel Harrison House.

"That's how important it was for us to tell that story and to honor those people that fought in the war," Jackson said.

Pittsfield's annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 15 at Durant Park unveiled the mural dedicated to the 54th Mass and, specifically, the Pittsfield residents who served in the combat unit.

The 12-by-24 foot work was displayed temporarily for the occasion.

"This mural was erected just for the day, and the community got to come out and see the mural in the park, and it was a point of pride for the neighborhood and for [WSL Treasurer Marvin Purry] and for Tony that had worked very hard on this for a number of years," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained.

"Now, they're looking to take the mural and create a permanent system where it can be affixed to and it can permanently be at Durant Park, along the fence line along the river."

He explained that the location, where it was placed for the Juneteenth celebration, won't disturb the trees and can be seen from Columbus Avenue and John Street. Planners want to have it up by Aug. 9.

"Your eye will catch this mural, and the story of the 54th is one, I think, which needs to be celebrated in our community at large, and these gentlemen have taken it and tried to share this story with the neighborhood. This is really important," he added.

Because of its proximity to the Housatonic River, the mural installation will require a permit from the Conservation Commission, for which a request has already been filed. There will be two posts along the asphalt walkway that support the mural parachute canvas that will be glued to a board.

It is said to be "the best spot" for a mural.

"You can see it from wherever you ride down past the park, you get a visual of it, and that's the impact," Jackson said.

"So we think this is going to be something that is going to carry on and have a lot of pride for the neighborhood."

He said five of his relatives fought in the Civil War, which ran from 1861 to 1865 and resulted in the abolishment of slavery.

"Two of them died, and three lived. The Hamilton family had 14 siblings. The women married other men that fought in the 54th, so our next part of our research is to find all those descendants," he said, adding it would be "very eye-opening" to see how many people in Berkshire County and beyond are related because of the way the branches worked.

"So it is something that was very sad that not everybody knew about it."

The group created 500 coloring books and 50 school curricula for children to learn this part of history, "because every school in Berkshire County should know this history, and that's something that should be taught. It's our history," Jackson said.