Rube Burrow Mural | Linden, Alabama
This mural in Linden, Alabama, tells the story of Rube Burrow, the notorious Alabama outlaw and train robber whose final escape ended in a gunfight in Linden in 1890.
Rather than illustrating a single moment, Banks Compton combined two memorable events from the town's past. Rube Burrow's escape and death form the foreground, while the burning Marengo County Courthouse in the background references another dramatic event in Linden history decades later.
The result is a mural designed to feel almost like a piece of local folklore—bringing stories that residents have passed down for generations together on one wall.
Bringing two chapters of Linden history together in one mural
Location: Linden, Alabama
Artist: Banks Compton
Subject: Rube Burrow & Marengo County history
Project Type: Public / Community Mural
Themes: Local history, storytelling, Alabama folklore
Project at a Glance
Two Linden Stories, One Wall
The mural isn't intended to represent one photographically accurate moment in time.
Instead, Banks approached the wall as a piece of visual storytelling, combining two dramatic events that have become part of Linden's collective memory: the final chapter of Rube Burrow's life in 1890 and the destruction of the town's later courthouse in 1965.
The train moving through the nighttime landscape above Burrow further references the robberies that made him infamous.
Together, the different scenes create a larger portrait of Linden's history—part fact, part folklore, and part community memory.
Who Was Rube Burrow?
Reuben Houston “Rube” Burrow was an Alabama-born outlaw who became nationally notorious for a series of train robberies across the South during the late 1880s. His gang targeted trains, express companies and the U.S. mail, earning Burrow comparisons to better-known outlaws of the era. Stories later portrayed him as an “Alabama Robin Hood,” although historians note that much of that reputation comes from legend rather than documented fact.
Burrow's story became permanently connected to Linden in October 1890.
After his final train robbery, Burrow was captured near Demopolis and brought to Linden, the Marengo County seat. While being held there, he managed to obtain a gun and escape custody. His attempted getaway ended in a gunfight with Deputy Sheriff Jeff “Dixie” Carter, who shot and killed Burrow in the street near the courthouse on October 9, 1890. The Alabama Department of Archives and History specifically identifies the old courthouse as the building in front of which Burrow was killed.
The episode became one of the best-known stories in Linden's history and remains associated with the historic courthouse today.
The Courthouse Fire
The burning courthouse behind Burrow represents a different period in Linden's history.
The courthouse associated with Burrow's 1890 death was an older structure that still survives. In 1903, Marengo County constructed a much larger Gothic-style courthouse with a prominent clock tower in what became Linden's developing downtown.
That is the courthouse represented burning in the mural.
The landmark courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1965. The present Marengo County Courthouse was subsequently built on the same site, opening in the late 1960s.
By placing the burning courthouse behind Rube Burrow, the mural compresses roughly 75 years of history into a single composition.
A Mural the Community Connects With
One of the most rewarding parts of this project has been seeing how strongly people in Linden connect with the finished mural.
For a small town, local stories can become an important part of its identity. Many residents already knew the stories represented on the wall, while others encountered them through the mural for the first time.
That connection is what Banks hopes to create through community-based public art: artwork that doesn't simply decorate a place, but gives people a reason to talk about where they live and the stories that shaped it.
About Banks Compton
Banks Compton is an Alabama mural artist and public artist creating large-scale artwork inspired by local history, nature, culture, and community storytelling.
His murals can be found throughout Alabama and across the United States, including numerous projects in West Alabama and the Black Belt.
Banks works closely with communities and clients to research the people, places, landmarks, and stories that make each location distinct, transforming those ideas into artwork created specifically for its environment.
Need a Mural Artist in Linden, Alabama?
Banks Compton creates custom murals and public art for businesses, cities, schools, organizations, and private properties throughout Linden, Marengo County, and West Alabama.
Whether you're looking to celebrate local history, transform a downtown wall, create a community landmark, or bring a unique story to your space, each mural is designed specifically around the client, location, and community.