West Chester Celebrates America250
WCU Alumni Connect over Pride of Place in West Chester Borough
“I've become a history buff,” says WCU music alumnus Al Moretti ’73, M’82, who designed
and created the new West Chester250 mural at 240 West Gay Street in honor of the nation’s
250th anniversary.
Moretti represents the myriad ways WCU grads often expand their horizons without leaving the area, stay connected with fellow alumni, and contribute to the region. The mural brings together several WCU alumni. Moretti even enlisted his two adult sons, WCU alumnus Rueben (class of 2013) and Aaron, in painting the mural.
A Wells School of Music alumnus, Moretti is a trumpeter who was in the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band. He was also in the premier WCU jazz ensemble the Criterions while a student and has participated in the group’s free annual summer alumni reunion concerts. He owned a studio in Downingtown where he taught music for more than 30 years, including a number of students who went on to West Chester University. He sold his business before the pandemic.
He says he was always drawing but chose to follow in his father’s footsteps as a musician. He resumed making art about 25 years ago.
Emeritus Professor of Art John Baker ’74 knew Moretti when he first began teaching classes and Moretti took a ceramics class from him. Baker serves on West Chester Borough’s Public Arts Commission, along with another WCU alumnus, James “Jimmer” Breen ’01, the commission’s chair.
Baker recalls that, “When Al became a painter, I coordinated shows and exhibitions for him.” Baker was instrumental in coordinating Moretti’s donation of his original art to WCU. Now exhibited in the Wells School of Music, the bold, colorful portraits showcase men and women composers.
Moretti’s first mural was for the WCU Wells School of Music. He also created the mural on the library in Kennett Square in 2024, a project Baker also was involved in from his role on the library arts committee.
For that and the West Chester 250 mural, Baker says Moretti really does his research.
“Al's mural brings a diverse historic perspective to the borough’s West Chester 250 celebration. It creates a vibrant image that brings value to the borough.”
At 33 feet x 33 feet, the mural is located at the intersection of West Gay Street, Hannum Avenue (Rt. 322), and North New Street at the west end of the borough -- a gateway for those coming into West Chester from Downingtown, where Moretti lives.
It’s also not far from the former home of acclaimed African American artist and World War I Harlem Hellfighter Horace Pippin, one of the figures depicted in the mural.
“So many remarkable people called West Chester home,” says Moretti, recounting his extensive research that included the native Lenape people; Chester County’s first female lawyer Isabel Darlington; the borough’s Underground Railroad connections; composer Samuel Barber; and prominent individuals whose names have been immortalized in road and building names. There wouldn’t be room to feature them all.
There are multiple meanings for each of the three figures Moretti ultimately chose. Pippin represents the modern era, the diverse population of the borough, service to his country, and creativity through his distinctive artwork. A self-taught artist who was born and spent most of his life in the borough, Pippin found art as therapy for a war injury that limited the use of his right arm. Brought to prominence by N.C. Wyeth, his paintings reflect personal connections to such issues as peace and social justice.
Colonel John Hannum represents the borough’s formation during the colonial period. A businessman, politician, and militiaman, Hannum, along with his brother-in-law Thomas Cheyney, notified General George Washington of the movement of British troops across the Brandywine Creek at Trimble’s Ford toward the Battle of the Brandywine. He was one of the founders of the borough and also a delegate to the state convention for ratifying the Constitution of the United States.
Hannah Freeman represents the indigenous peoples of the region. A Lenni Lenape of the Unami group, she was born on land that is now part of Longwood Gardens and died in 1802. Once thought to be the last of her tribe to live in Chester County, she adapted to life among the settlers by completing such jobs as sewing, weaving, and cleaning. An historic plaque at the Longwood Meeting House, now home to the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau near the Longwood Gardens entrance, pays her tribute.
Moretti jokes that one title for the mural could be “Hannum, Hannah, and Horace.”
West Chester Public Arts Commission selected his proposed work. The charge was to reflect the historical significance of the borough and its role in the broader American narrative; celebrate the diversity of those who once called and continued to call the borough home; and represent a hopeful future rooted in inclusion and community pride. A dedication for the mural is planned for Sunday, August 2.