A vibrant new mural has been installed along the Ghost Town Trail, adding an artistic touch to one of Pennsylvania’s most beloved trails. Located on the back of Agway [Google Maps], just past the Ebensburg Trailhead before reaching Mile 32 on Rowena Drive, the mural is the latest collaborative effort by Central Cambria High School students and their art teacher, Brian Dumm.

Central Cambria art students in grades 9-12 assisted with designing and painting the piece, bringing their vision to life. The mural’s journey began after Christmas break, when students brainstormed and sketched ideas, which Dumm then compiled into a final design. Students maintained creative control, refining details and breaking the design into panels before projecting and tracing onto mural cloth. Painting began in mid-April, wrapping up by mid-May.

Dumm and several volunteers applied the cloth to the building surface in late May and early June, with an adhesive material, after Agway had prepped the wall. Visitors may now go enjoy the completed mural, located just beside the trail.

This marks the fourth mural completed by Central Cambria students, all of which are displayed at community-based locations and nonprofits, an annual effort that came to fruition by Brian Dumm and the Art Department at Central Cambria.

“Making student artwork visible to the community has been one of my objectives since I started teaching. I’m always trying to get more eyes on artwork, especially student artwork”, Dumm stated. “I like when the students kind of gain a little bit of a personal connection to their town. In doing something like this, they have a vested interest in it.”

Brian Dumm expressed gratitude to CCCRA [Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority] and Agway for supporting the project. “This one’s kind of neat because it’s off the beaten path a little bit—you almost have to search for it.”

The mural encapsulates the story of the Ghost Town Trail, showcasing imagery of its past and present—a train on one side and rail trail users on the other. It’s part of an ongoing effort, funded by CCCRA’s Friends of the Trails program, to enhance the trail experience. In this same location, a story walk will soon be added to the trail, thanks to the Ebensburg Library.

Caytlin Lusk, Assistant Executive Director of the Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority (CCCRA), praised the project’s impact. “This mural is a stunning addition to the trail, bringing art and history together in a way that truly enhances the experience for visitors. We are incredibly grateful to Brian Dumm and the talented Central Cambria students for their hard work and artistic vision.”, Lusk stated.

Looking ahead, CCCRA has plans to extend the trail from it’s current end in Ebensburg to Loretto, with Saint Francis University beginning engineering work in the fall semester. No grants have yet been secured to fund construction needs for this extension, but updates will be provided in the future.

Named Pennsylvania’s 2020 Trail of the Year, the Ghost Town Trail consists of a 32-mile main stem from Saylor Park to Ebensburg, along with the C & I Extension. The final phase of the extension—featuring two new bridges over PennDOT roads—is slated for completion by November 30, 2025, making it the first loop of rail trail in the U.S. east of Oregon.

About the CCCRA

The Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority (CCCRA) was established in 1994 to promote trail development for recreational purposes and also to provide technical assistance to county municipalities for environmental remediation projects. The mission of the Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority is to acquire, construct, maintain, operate, and facilitate recreation opportunities and environmental remediation facilities in Cambria County and the surrounding region. The CCCRA manages the Ghost Town Trail, the Path of the Flood Trail, and the Jim Mayer Riverswalk Trail.