Nancy Landis and the staff of the Winters Heritage House Museum want to be sure Elizabethtown's past does not fade away. The museum is spearheading a campaign to restore two large murals in town, located in parking lots along South Market Street and East High Street.

"We don't own the murals, but we've gotten permission from the building owners to restore the murals," Landis noted. "These are part of our community history, and it's important that we preserve them."

Both murals were painted by Wayne Fettro. "Four Centuries of Elizabethtown History" was created in 2000 in celebration of the new millennium. It takes the viewer from the 1700s trading post in the Colonial frontier through changes in the 1800s and 1900s to the year 2000. The other mural, "Donegal to Donegal," traces the migration of the Scots-Irish culture to this area, Landis explained. It was created in 2002 and features maps of the Donegal area of southcentral Pennsylvania and the Ulster area that spans present-day Northern Ireland and part of the Irish Republic. The Irish map features place names that will sound familiar to Elizabethtown locals, since many places in their area were named after the Scots-Irish immigrants' hometowns. Both murals feature QR codes that viewers can scan to learn more about what's pictured.

Landis said restoring the murals is part of the museum's Property Preservation Campaign, which includes restoration work on the museum's 18th-century buildings. "We just replaced our roof, and now we need to replace the siding on our east side. It's just rotted through," she explained. "The last rain we got from Hurricane Ida came through the wall." The museum has set a goal of $100,000 for the campaign, with $20,000 earmarked for the mural restoration.

Landis emphasized that although the museum is leading the charge for the mural restoration, it is more of a community project than a museum project, and community support is needed.

"There are places where the paint is peeling and will need to be scraped off," she explained. "Everything will need to be reprimed and repainted, and we're going to try to match the color as best as possible." The "Four Centuries" mural is black and white, which makes matching a little easier, she noted, but "Donegal to Donegal" is trickier. "The one on our lot used to be vibrantly colored blues, reds and yellows, and now it's just really faded," she stated.

Landis noted that the museum has a benefactor who has offered to match dollar for dollar any donations made to the campaign throughout the month of October. She hopes to begin the mural restoration project by next spring or early summer.

The public will be able to enjoy the murals as part of the upcoming Haunted Elizabethtown Hunt, happening on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29 and 30. "This will be a walking tour through town, including going to the murals and visiting some downtown businesses and restaurants," Landis commented. "You'll be able to learn about the places in town as well as hear some spooky stories that may or may not be true."

For more information on the mural restoration project or the Property Preservation Campaign, visit http://www.elizabethtownhistory.org or call the museum at 717-367-4672.