Mosaic Captures 250 Years Of Harford County History

HARFORD COUNTY, MD ? Harford County's 250th anniversary public art piece, ?Rooted in History: Lighting the Way to the Future,? can be see at Bynum Run Park near Bel Air.

The four-panel mosaic, created by artist Lisa Scarbath of Ellicott City, was unveiled before the public during the ?Celebrating Tomorrow-Make Harford History Now? event March 20 at the Bel Air Armory. Celebrating Tomorrow was the closing event for the year-long celebration of Harford County?s 250th anniversary, which started in March of 2023.

County leaders, town representatives, members of the Harford 250 steering committee, as well as the artist, were on hand when the mosaic?s home next to the pond at Bynum Run Park was introduced to the community. The mosaic panels are mounted in wooden structures, topped by metal gable roofs, which were built by Harford County Parks and Recreation staff.

?The mosaic provides an ongoing reminder of the Harford 250 Celebration and the people who live here during this memorable time,? Jackie Seneschal, co-chair of the steering committee, said. ?It?s a real celebration of community.?

The mosaic was created using objects submitted by residents throughout Harford County, such as pieces of brick, tiles, ceramic mugs, campaign and event buttons, lapel pins and many other everyday objects that have meaning for local residents.

?I?m thrilled with the participation that we had and how everyone shared their personal histories with us and [their] stories, and I think it came together really well,? Scarbath said.

She used the items to create images that show Harford County?s history, such as its agricultural heritage, but also convey a message of looking toward the future. Visitors can use their phones to scan QR codes on the panels for more information or they can press the corners of their devices to small white numbered buttons. That will bring up a Soundcloud audio file, featuring a brief story about an object that had been donated and its meaning for the donor.

?I?m just happy that anybody can interact with the art for years to come,? Scarbath said.

Scarbath, who specializes in mosaics and is the resident artist at the Howard County Center for the Arts, noted her connection to Harford County. Her husband grew up in Fallston and some of their relatives still live in the area.