Murals in Linden, Alabama | Banks Compton
Artist Banks Compton has created four murals throughout downtown Linden, Alabama, ranging from welcoming public artwork and interactive photo opportunities to a large-scale mural exploring the city's history.
The collection began with Banks' Welcome to Linden mural, the first mural he completed independently as a professional mural artist. It later expanded with two murals surrounding Thomas Terrace—a butterfly photo mural and an expansive Southern porch scene—and the Rube Burrow mural depicting two memorable chapters from Linden's past.
Three of the murals were supported through the Marengo County Extension and ALProHealth Grant Project, part of a broader effort to create inviting public spaces and encourage residents to explore downtown Linden.
Four Murals Transforming Downtown Linden
Location: Downtown Linden, Alabama
Artist: Banks Compton
Murals: Four
Projects: Welcome to Linden, Tiger Swallowtail, The Porch & Rube Burrow
Community Partner: Marengo County Extension / ALProHealth
Themes: Community, Alabama Nature, Local History & Downtown Revitalization
Project Type: Public Art & Community Murals
Project at a Glance
The Porch at Thomas Terrace
Directly across from the butterfly mural, Banks created The Porch, a much larger mural designed around the idea of gathering.
The mural depicts an expansive Southern porch with pink columns, rocking chairs, hanging ferns, potted plants, and a whimsical landscape stretching into the distance. Banks also incorporated 11 hidden butterflies throughout the scene for visitors to discover.
The Southern porch was chosen intentionally. Porches have long served as places where neighbors sit, talk, visit, and build relationships, making the imagery particularly appropriate for a new community gathering space.
The Alabama Mural Trail features The Porch in its mural resources, further documenting the project as part of Alabama's public-art landscape.
Welcome to Linden
The Welcome to Linden mural was the first mural Banks painted completely on his own and marked the beginning of his independent mural career.
The large downtown mural depicts a bright rural Alabama landscape with rolling fields, hay bales, distant trees, and birds flying overhead. Large “Welcome to Linden” lettering transforms the wall into a recognizable entrance and visual landmark for the community.
The project was among the early public-art efforts bringing new visual interest to downtown Linden. Business Alabama documented the new mural and its role welcoming visitors downtown.
What began as Banks' first independent mural would eventually lead to three additional murals in the community and public-art projects throughout West Alabama.
The Tiger Swallowtail Mural
Banks' second Linden project transformed an unusual section of an existing downtown wall into an interactive photo opportunity.
A large Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly fills the center of the composition, surrounded by Alabama camellias and a bright landscape. Visitors can stand directly in front of the butterfly, allowing its wings to appear behind them in photographs.
The architecture presented an additional design challenge. An old doorway had been filled with cinderblocks, while a large horizontal metal beam and ramp remained in front of the wall. Instead of trying to disguise those elements, Banks incorporated them into the composition.
The beam becomes part of the landscape dividing the butterfly from the scene above it, while the ramp gives visitors a place to step into the artwork.
The result demonstrates how murals can transform awkward or overlooked architectural features into something intentional, interactive, and highly shareable.
Transforming Thomas Terrace
The butterfly and porch murals face one another across Thomas Terrace, a downtown community space created from the site of a deteriorated and collapsed building.
Rather than allowing the property to remain an empty lot, community partners worked to transform it into a place where residents could gather. Today, the space can accommodate live music, food trucks, community events, and other activities.
Alabama Cooperative Extension documented the transformation, explaining that ALProHealth provided guidance and funding for most of the improvements. The goal was to encourage people to get out of their cars, explore downtown Linden, and create a stronger sense of community.
Banks' two facing murals help define the space visually: one invites visitors to physically step into the artwork, while the other creates the illusion of a welcoming Southern porch.
The Rube Burrow Mural
Banks later returned to Linden to create a mural centered on Rube Burrow, the notorious Alabama outlaw and train robber whose story became closely associated with the town.
The composition combines Burrow's story with another chapter of Linden history: the burning of the city's later courthouse.
Although these events occurred decades apart, Banks brought them together into a single visual narrative about the town's past. Train imagery references Burrow's robberies, while the burning courthouse represents a separate event that became another memorable chapter in Linden's history.
The mural has become particularly popular with local residents because of its direct connection to stories that have been passed down through the community.
Explore the Rube Burrow Mural Story →
Public Art & Downtown Revitalization
Together, the four murals show several different ways public art can contribute to a small downtown.
One welcomes visitors. Another creates an interactive photo opportunity. The porch mural helps establish a gathering space, while the Rube Burrow mural preserves and interprets local history.
The first three were funded through the ALProHealth Grant Project, which Banks' professional record documents as supporting three Linden murals in 2022.
Rather than treating each wall as an isolated painting, the projects became part of a larger effort to make downtown Linden more colorful, walkable, memorable, and connected to the identity of the community.
About Banks Compton
Banks Compton is an Alabama-based mural artist and RISD alumnus whose work combines storytelling, nature, local history, and site-specific design.
His murals can be found throughout Alabama and across the United States, with a particularly strong body of public art throughout West Alabama, including projects in Demopolis, Linden, Livingston, Eutaw, Boligee, and Thomasville.
West Alabama Mural Projects
Banks creates custom murals and public art for cities, businesses, schools, organizations, and communities throughout Alabama and across the United States.
