An armored
car with two uniformed, pistol-toting guards rolled into Franklin
Wednesday morning, pulling in front of an area business and loading a
very unusual cargo for a trip to Pittsburgh.
This was no
ordinary payload - not money from a local bank nor stock and bond
certificates - but an oil painting commissioned from a local artist.
The
painting by Franklin native Deac Mong will be unveiled during a ceremony
and reception April 10 at the Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh.
Mong was
approached by retired Butler County Judge Martin O'Brien at the end of
2006 to do the painting. After 10 months of research and painting, Mong
completed the work known as "First Shot" last October.
The scene
is a 21-year-old George Washington; experienced frontiersman companion
Christopher Gist; and an Indian guide making their way from Fort LeBoeuf
in Waterford back to Williamsburg, Va. During the journey, the Indian
guide paced ahead, turned and fired upon Washington, narrowly missing
the man who would one day become the first president of the United
States.
"Washington
was a soldier in the British Army and it was a diplomatic mission. He
was coming to politely tell the French to get out since they were
trespassers on British territory," said O'Brien, who is a board member
for the Washington's Trail 1753, a driving guide of northwest
Pennsylvania commemorating the area's participation in the French and
Indian War.
Historical
records, including journals by both Washington and Gist, tell the story
of the December 1753 event near Evans City portrayed in the oil
painting.
Washington
and Gist made stops at French forts in Venango (Fort Machault) and
Waterford (Fort LeBoeuf) and were returning to Virginia when they met an
Indian guide at Venango who offered to lead them through the woods on a
shorter route through Pennsylvania.
"They came
to a clearing in the woods near what is now Butler, the Indian walked 15
paces ahead of the men, turned and fired. It could literally be the
first shot of the French and Indian War," Mong said.
During his
research, Mong said he devoured copies of the Washington and Gist
journals as well as other historical documents. He also called upon the
services of several local re-enactors to provide insight into the
clothing of the period. Jim Edwards as the Indian, Greg Rearick as
Washington and Steve Covington as Gist posed in full-garb on a hot July
day last year to provide Mong with inspiration for the work of art,
which measures 4 feet by 5 feet 6 inches.
Mong has
made a living as an artist since 1980.
"I've been
basically a struggling artist ever since," he said.
Mong came
interested in the history of western Pennsylvania after completing a
commissioned mural for the Venango County courthouse, which depicts
George Washington confronting the French at Fort Machault.
Mong has
produced paintings for five-star hotels, businesses and individuals both
nationally and internationally. National retailers and print companies
in San Francisco sell reproductions of his paintings.
A partner
in an art and framing business in Chicago for a number of years, Mong
divided his time between his office in downtown Chicago and his rural
studio just outside of Franklin, where he now spends six days per week
creating his designs.
Although
Mong has settled into a permanent setting, the fate of his latest
creation is still unknown. No residence has been determined for First
Shot, but NexTier Bank, which was established 130 years ago in Evans
City near the site of the shooting, is a co-sponsor of the reception
with Armstrong Cable. NexTier made arrangements for Wednesday's
transport of the painting.
Martin said
his dream for the piece is to have prints made to be distributed to area
schools to assist in the teaching of the rich local history of the
French and Indian War.