by Amber N. Johns

Looming over the bustle of Union Square, above the busy shops and buildings, the Somerville Gateway Mural, painted on the side of the Barrister’s Hall building at 59 Union Square, serves as an important reminder of Somerville’s important role in American history.

Be Sargent, formerly Be Allen, who lived in the city for more than 20 years until she moved to N.M. six months ago, painted the mural, which depicts George Washington witnessing the raising of the first American flag on Prospect Hill Jan. 1, 1776.

This summer is the mural’s tenth anniversary, and Sargent still recalls the process of creating the mural, and the challenges and friendships that developed along the way.

“The raising of the flag was an important historic event that Somerville hadn’t taken advantage of,” said Sargent.

“In a lot of history books it said that the flag was raised in Cambridge, but, really, it was in Somerville. Somerville was a blue-collar town and didn’t have the prestige or money to push for the rights to its
own history. I thought it was important to do that,” she said.

“When you come into Union Square, you get a part of history when you see the mural,” said Francis D. Privitera, owner of the Barrister’s Hall building. “It really gives the people a sense of pride for the history of their city.”

Coming up with the theme was a joint effort, said Sargent. “Frank Privitera wanted something patriotic, so I set up a committee and we researched the most patriotic topic we could think of that involved Somerville.”

The committee consisted of artists and city historians, including Sargent’s mentor and head-historian, Isabelle Cheney, and the late Paul Lea and Carmella Adario, said city resident Laurence N. Paolella, also a member of the committee.

“I always devote at least a year to painting a mural. We probably spent six months just doing research for it,” said Sargent.

“We looked through tons of Revolutionary War books,” said William R. Burke, another committee member.

When it came to the actual painting, the process was just as slow going. “She had the scaffolding up for the better part of the summer. She must have spent thousands of hours up there painting,” said Privitera.

“I would come to my office in the building in the morning, and she’d be on the scaffolding. I’d leave, and she’d still be there,” he said.

“She was perseverance personified.”

“She worked all by herself. She’d move the planks she stood on to paint and everything. She’s inspiring in many ways,” said Paolella.

Paolella said he also helped Sargent with fundraising for the project. “Initially, I wanted to get involved because Be was a neighbor and a regular attendee of my wife Margaret’s yoga class. That grew into a friendship, and we decided to help sponsor fundraisers.”

Sargent received support from the city for the mural. U.S. Rep. Michael E. Capuano, D-Somerville, then mayor of the city, said, “I was very supportive of getting the mural done because I thought it enhanced the look of the square, and added artistic expression to an otherwise blank wall.”

“Mayor Capuano was so wonderful to me as a muralist,” said Sargent.

State Rep. Patricia D. Jehlen, D-Somerville, also supported the mural. “Pat came to a dinner we sponsored, and she ended up winning four out of the five raffles we had that night,” said Paolella.

“The mural is a symbol of Somerville, and it has made people more aware of the history of Prospect Hill,” said Jehlen.

Burke said that, in part, he attributes the growing awareness of Somerville’s historic importance to the mural. “I don’t think many Somervillians knew about what happened on Prospect Hill before the mural went up.”

Part of the theme, Burke said, is the Second Amendment and remembering the soldiers who fought for freedom.

“Be hit upon a theme that corrected history and established Somerville as a keystone in the creation of America,” said Paolella.

“I’m not much of a historian, but I gained a better perspective of our history because of doing the project,” said Sargent. “I think we all came out of it really admiring George Washington and what he did for our freedom.”

Sargent said that she is very proud of her work on the mural, but still thinks something is missing. “Every time I pass it, I think there need to be lights on it at night. It would make the whole square feel cozy.”