Sugarcreek Murals

Ohio History

Bank Mural

Let's have a quick stop in Sugarcreek, a few miles east of Berlin, before concluding our trip. My favorite attraction in the little town also features a bit of history: the storefront murals. The one above is on the bank downtown. The scene from the Swiss Alps is complete with an tiny animated train chugging in and out of a mountain tunnel. Can you spot it on the left?

This is just one of the murals painted by native Ohioan Tom Miller. In fact, he spent his entire life in the Walnut Creek area (in Holmes County). After starting a successful interior decorating business in the early 1950s, Tom Miller was able to pursue his dream of bringing Switzerland into Sugarcreek, which had an ethnic Swiss heritage. Inspired by a trip to Switzerland, he painted his own storefront and was soon adorning many Sugarcreek business fronts with Swiss scenes. Most of his murals were painted during the 1970s and 80s.