A new mural in downtown Montgomery aims to highlight the history of the rapidly growing city.
Montgomery’s history dates back to the 1800s and a livery stable would have been seen in the city’s downtown, historians say.
After getting three livery tokens discovered near their property, Anthony and Rebecca Noreiga of Texas and Beyond and North Houston Art Gallery commissioned a mural to commemorate the history of the building that once served visitors conducting business at the former courthouse or shopping in town.
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The mural — displayed on a wall of the North Houston Art Gallery off Liberty Street — depicts two men, one who works at the stable and the other dropping off his horse. In the background, “Easter eggs” are scattered all across the mural that showcases Montgomery’s history, such as the Texas flag, the old Methodist Church and the famous goat that would hang around town begging for water.
But as the star of the mural, the stable stands above everything else.
Rebecca Noreiga said commissioning the mural was a way to preserve history. “We want folks to come down and appreciate it,” she said.
Learning about local history
When the Noreigas first moved into the downtown area, they inherited three livery tokens.
Brothers Billy Ray and Donald Duncan found the tokens in the early 1990s after doing some metal detecting near the property across from the N.H. Davis Pioneer Complex and Museum.
In the 1800s a livery was a stable where horse owners paid a weekly or monthly fee to keep their horses. Montgomery’s history dates back to 1837 and a livery stable would have been common in the city’s early history.
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The Duncan brothers have been prospecting in the historic city for decades. In 1994, on what was then a vacant lot across from the museum, they found these three tokens with the numbers 19, 18 and 4.
On finding them, Billy Ray said he thought they were probably livery claim checks because they knew there had been a livery stable in the area due to historic records.
The tokens were used to claim the owner’s horse that was staying there.
Mural serves as inspiration
Local artist Amy McCain grew up in Montgomery, which made her feel that she was a good candidate to paint the mural. After being commissioned, it took her about three weeks in May to finish the mural, she said.
Prior to the Montgomery mural, she was commissioned to paint a mural that depicted Conroe in 1942. Being a part of Montgomery’s history is something that she loved about painting the mural.
“I think it’s really fun to be a part of, because my grandfather grew up in one of those houses in the Historic District,” McCain said. “It just makes me feel proud to contribute. I think it’s really great that (the Noreigas) are keeping the history of Montgomery going.”
Working on the mural has already inspired her, she said.
“It was kind of an eye opener for me,” McCain said. “It makes me feel like I just want to get more involved.”
Visitors and residents of the city are encouraged to view the mural and take pictures.
The Noreigas have owned the property at 14259 Liberty St. since 2022. The property was previously Pecan Hill Florist.
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