Greetings
Thank you for your posting. My home is Granville Co., NC.
The Mural says 'A Tribute Riverboat Men, the Dan River 1870' Well, I do not find the Mural at all ofensive. Looks like these men were doing an honest days work of which hopefully they were getting paid. From what I can see, faces don't look distorted; clothes, ?typical, didn't see the 'stepping fletcher' type; and they could have even been businessman.
If you are saying that it should have been something more permanent, I agree and a lot of time murals lead to those type projects.
If this was 'really' part of history in Eden-on the Dan River, I see no problem.
However,I must say this, if this mural was done by 'others' as the Dr. Martin L. King Memorial (is done in China by Chineses), then there's a problem.
Otherwise, celebrate!!!

In Search of Roots, moy