WELLINGTON, Ohio — As we approach America 250, one town says the “Spirit of ’76" lives in Lorain County.
When you enter Wellington, the signs and buildings trimmed in red, white and blue point to a proud, patriotic history.
"We’re so proud of the Spirit. And we’re a patriotic group here,” said Becky Norton, a director at Wellington’s Spirit of ’76 Museum.
At its core, the spirit of 1776 was a patriotic sentiment that ushered in a new era of freedom.
A century after the American Revolution, a Wellington man turned that idea into a work that’s inspired patriotism for generations.
Norton said it’s hard to put into words why the painting continues to resonate with audiences.
"One of our directors, I call him ‘Mr. History,’ was asked that. And he said there’s just something about this painting that you just feel it. And I think that’s true,” said Norton.
Today, you can find numerous tributes to the Spirit of ’76 and its painter, Archibald Willard, throughout Wellington. It’s recreated in murals, carved into stone memorials and featured on both the police and fire departments’ official insignia.
In what is now known as Willard Square, local stories say Archibald Willard got his original inspiration for the iconic painting during a Fourth of July performance by the Brighton Fife and Drum Corps.
"These guys were fooling around, and Mr. Willard sketched them,” said Norton, pointing to a drawing of the two men playing drums and one playing the fife.
She explained Willard looked to the sketch as a starting point when he began a larger project to celebrate the country’s 100th birthday in 1876.
"It morphed into this painting, which today still embodies the patriotism of 1776,” she said.
Norton’s ancestors were Willard’s contemporaries in the Wellington area.
"This was the drum from our family, and in several of the paintings, you can see this design,” she said of a drum on display in the museum.
It belonged to her great-great-grandfather, who served as the original model for the central figure in the painting.
"Mr. Willard’s father, the Reverend Samuel Willard, was not in good health. And so he painted his father’s head on my great-great-grandfather’s body. So we kind of laugh about that a little bit,” Norton said.
As one of the directors for the Spirit of ’76 Museum, Norton now looks after a large collection of Willard works.
"He was quite a joker, and he would paint himself into some of his paintings,” she said.
For America 250, the museum is also displaying the original fife on loan from the family of Hugh Mosher, who was also a model for the painting.
Willard painted carriages and furniture in Northeast Ohio before eventually moving to New York to study and produce paintings full-time.
He saw success with other paintings, but Norton hopes his iconic painting and the upcoming semiquincentennial serve as reminders of the true spirit of ’76.
"We tend to think about the negatives sometimes, but I’m hoping America 250 brings that patriotism and that wondrous feeling of being in America,” she said.
The original painting, which toured the country during the centennial, is currently on display in Massachusetts. Wellington is home to several copies made by Willard himself.
Catherine Ross is the Lorain County reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @CatherineRossTV, on Facebook CatherineRossTV or email her at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
