FRANKLIN

A new mural graces downtown. This time it’s to be found on the side of the Parker Darden Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., 201 S. Main St. The design, which features the tugboat Cotton J, is a reminder of a time when such crafts were a regular sight along the nearby Blackwater River. Napoleon HIll of Whitakers, North Carolina, painted the image. He said he was hired by a few months ago by the Downtown Franklin Association; a committee decided on the topic. All that’s left to do are touch-ups today, said Hill, whose work can also be seen on a side of Highground Services on Market Street.