The question of what to do with a four ton concrete mural at the front of the old Palmetto Middle School has been answered.
Williamston Mayor Rockey Burgess and Anderson School District One Superintendent Robbie Binnicker said this week they have come up with a solution of what to do with the 9 ft. tall concrete wall mural.
The mural was a key feature of the entrance to the school when it was constructed in 1953 as Palmetto High School. The mural features four “figures” and is referred to by some as the “Alien Mural” due to the resemblance of the design to popular portrayals of “aliens.”
The building, which has served as Palmetto Middle School since 1976, is in the final phase of being torn down and replaced with almost all new construction. The mural has been in question since demolition and construction began on the new school.
Mayor Burgess said the Town of Williamston plans to move the four ton concrete mural wall to Williamston’s Mineral Spring Park, where it will become the center piece for a concrete block wall along the back side of the town’s current tennis court area. A new wall will be constructed to help block the railroad and provide a back stop for what Burgess said he hopes will be a “pickleball” court.
Anderson School District One has agreed with the proposal and according to Burgess, the mayors of West Pelzer and Pelzer have also indicated that the move would be appropriate. When demolition on the Palmetto Middle entrance and auditorium begins, the nine foot tall concrete mural will be saved. It will be stabilized and moved, with the help of heavy equipment crane, to the park where it will be placed on a new foundation.
“It will be functional and seen every day,” Mayor Burgess said. “We will preserve history and a functional piece of artwork.”
Burgess said other murals may be painted on the adjoining concrete wall when it is completed.
The move is expected to take place in May after school is out, he said.
