The created murals tend to show out Portsmouth, Ohio history all through the present day from the mound-building Indians and use 2000 ft. long, 20 ft. high floodwall as the canvas.
The year 2002 marked the final year of Floodwall Mural Project creation that lasted for ten years. The entire project runs onwards the historic district length and it is said to include about fifty different scenes.
When the idea of this project was born back in 1992, the internationally known artist and muralist were contacted to take over this project. After embarking on the project, he managed to complete the first mural a year later. The created murals are arranged from the east all through the west starting with a show of the Mound Builders, the said Shawnee Indians ancestors.
All the subjects that were under coverage by the created murals showed out the history of Portsmouth from the old days Hopewell cultures and mound-building to the current day notable natives and the sporting events. Some of the subjects included are the;
The Earthworks of Portsmouth, this is a large mound complex that was built by the Hopewell culture of Ohio right from 100 BCE to around 500 CE.
The Lower Shawnee town, this is a Shawnee village during the late time of 18th century straddled the great Ohio River downstream.
The popular Lead Plate Expedition of 1749 that was up to advancing the territorial claim of the France led by Pierre Joseph on the Ohio Valley.
The American native leader, Tecumseh who opposed the U.S in the 1812 War and Tecumseh War. The leader grew up during the Northwest Indian and American Revolutionary Wars in Ohio Country.
More about Portsmouth founding father, Henry Massie who was also the surveyor that took part in laying the 1803 original plat.
Breakout of civil war unit from this town, Battery L, and they were fighting at Gettysburg.
A Native American athlete Jim Thorpe who was both a coach and player of Portsmouth Shoe steels semiprofessionals at the late 1920s
The NFL charter member, The Portsmouth Spartans who later became the Detroit Lions right after moving to Detroit.
The most ever influential baseball coach, Branch Rickey who was also the inventor of the farm team system and also the deal maker of the great Jackie Robinson to a popular and Major League Baseball that later when Robinson debuted broke the baseline color line in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
An American surrealist painter and regionalist Clarence Carter.
The historic photo collector and the local photographer Carl Ackerman, this is right where the collection of many murals created drew their imagery.
The 1937 disastrous flood at Ohio River, this is the major reason this project was started.
For transportation, the riverboats, the Erie and Ohio Canal, stagecoaches, and the railroads that made its terminus outside Portsmouth.
Some other local notables that include Jesse Stuart, Vern Riffe, Roy Rogers, and Julia Marlowe
There are in place other panels that explore more at the local education history, sister cities, the police and firemen, a memorial to the veterans of the area forces, industry, (that includes the shoe industry, the steel industry, and the popular Gaseous Diffusion plant in Portsmouth), the first European settlers, the local Carnegie library, and also the period old downtown and other surrounding localities genre scenes.
The entire original project was made to completion in the 2003 fall season. Since its completion, many other panels have been added that includes the Scioto River Valley Tour, the murals that honor the 2006 Portsmouth baseball heroes and also a bicycle tour of 2007 between Portsmouth and Columbus.