Francis “Mac” McBride mural located on Rich Avenue near Woodland Boulevard
If you are standing at the corner of Woodland Boulevard and Rich Avenue next to the former Dick & Janes CoffeeShop be sure to take a look on the side of the building. Here, near the creepy looking stairs leading down to an empty basement storefront, you will see a mural in honor of Commander Francis “Mac” McBride.
Born in Rockledge, Florida, the McBride family had a legacy of police work. McBride’s father and brother were also in law enforcement. His uncle served in the United States Air Force as a military police officer.
The young McBride moved to Volusia County, living in Daytona Beach and Barberville, before moving to DeLand. In DeLand, he began work at Sherwood Medical Industries, before being hired as a rookie officer by the DeLand Police Department in 1975.
The then 77-year-old McBride retired in 2020 after 45 years on the police force. During this time he made many friends and won the respect and admiration of downtown business owners for his community policing style. He is often remembered for his “Night Eyes” program. As a part of this program he would leave notes for business owners assuring them he had checked on their business during his shift.
Former DeLand Police Chief, Bill Ridgway said of McBride, “I got to see how he built relationships and those connections with the community, he was ahead of the curve.”
In seeing his mural Officer McBride stated, “I hope I did the right thing. Everything that I’ve done now goes back to that mural. It’s an honor to know that my legacy is that I cared about the people and people cared about me.”
McBride was honored during his last shift with a retirement party held at the Sanborn Activity Center. After his retirement the beloved officer moved to Alabama to be closer to family.
Detail of Mac McBride muralOath of Honor as seen in the Francis “Mac” McBride mural.
UPDATE
Francis “Mac” McBride passed away on August 29, 2025 in Leighton, Alabama. An obituary for McBride can be found HERE.
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If you are interested in memorials to law enforcement officers, please take a look at my post about the memorial to officer Elmer Michaelof the DeLand police force. This monument is located just a short distance from this mural.
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Rivertown Brick Mural. Image courtesy City of DeLand
I have often said that art is all around us we just need to look for it. That is certainly true when it comes to the 3D work Rivertown Brick Mural. Gracing the south entrance to DeLand City Hall, this work is so well matched to the color and design of the building itself that visitors can be forgiven for not noticing it in their haste to pay a utility bill or handle other business.
Rivertown Brick Mural is the creation of artists Dr. John Wilton,John Wolfe, and Harry Messersmith; all artists well known in the Florida art scene. The work shows a family along the banks of the St. Johns River using color, depth, and texture to create the scene.
Installation of the work occurred in 2007 as a part of the 125th anniversary of the City of DeLand. The piece was presented in memory of former mayor Earl W. Brown.
DeLand City Hall is located at 120 S. Florida Avenue. Free parking is available on site.
Please see a video of this installation by clicking here.
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Seated portrait of John B. Stetson Image courtesy Wikipedia
Tourists and locals alike love to walk the beautiful tree lined campus of Stetson University. From beautiful architecture, to a fine art museum, sports fields, and an amazing library, the campus is filled with opportunities to explore. One of the immediate highlights for visitors is the John B. Stetson sculpture located near Elizabeth Hall.
The school, founded in 1883 and then known as the DeLand Academy, opened using a lecture room at First Baptist Church as its first classroom. The next year DeLand Hall opened. This building cost $4,000 and is now the oldest continuous academic use building in Florida.
John F. Forbes Courtesy: www.florida.memory.com
In 1885 the DeLand Academy was renamed DeLand College and John F. Forbes was named college president. Under Forbes leadership, the college grew from less than 100 students to almost 300. He also oversaw a construction boom as Stetson Hall, Chaudoin Hall, Elizabeth Hall, Flagler Hall and the residence of the president were built.
Early on the school caught the attention of winter resident John B. Stetson. Stetson was a hat maker, following in the footsteps of his father Stephen. Having lived with cowboys on a western trip, Stetson returned to Philadelphia where he designed the “cowboy hat” and started his path to wealth and fame.
Stetson’s affiliation with the school started after Forbes began a conversation with the hat maker after it was learned Stetson had purchased land in the small town. Mr. Stetson was to eventually donate $3,500 toward the construction of what would become known as “Stetson Hall.”
Mr. Stetson continued to grow his influence on the school, being elected to the Board of Trustees in
1887 and President of the Board in 1889. The school was renamed in his honor that same year, John B.
Stetson University. The name was shortened to the familiar Stetson University in 1951.
Mr. Stetson would continue to live part of the year in DeLand at his mansion, now known as the Stetson Mansion, until passing away there in 1906. Stetson is buried in a mausoleum in West LaurelHillCemetery, in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. An online memorial to Stetson may be found here. To the best of my knowledge, there is no full-length biography on Mr. Stetson.
Fast forward about 100 years to a goal of then president Wendy Libby. Dr. Libby wanted to commemorate the university benefactor with a life size sculpture for all to see. This goal began to take shape with the financial support of Troy Templeton and his wife Sissy. World-renowned sculptor Erik Blome was selected to create the showpiece.
Blome is well known for his high profile, larger than life sculptures. Some of his more famous works
include the Chicago Blackhawks 75th anniversary sculpture outside the United Center, the 9/11
monument in Oak Lawn, Illinois, the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue in Milwaukee, and Rosa Parks in both Montgomery, AL andDallas, TX.
Do you want to learn more about the history of Volusia County? Use my bibliographyto find resources on all aspects of Volusia County history.
The first aim was to determine what the sculpture would look like. Drawings showing many different possible poses were created before the idea of a seated Stetson, doffing his hat, was agreed upon. Said Blome, “I went with that because it’s a really warm and welcoming kind of thing.” Libby and Templetons agreed.
The John B. Stetson sculpture tips his hat to passers by on the campus of Stetson University.
In creating sculptures such as this, the subject is often created in a larger than life size. The goal Blome said is to make the subject “feel bigger and more powerful and more interesting” because often times “they sometimes look too diminutive.” The problem was nobody knew how tall Mr. Stetson was. Sue Ryan, the Betty Drees Johnson Dean of Library and Learning Technologies, along with Blome began to unravel the mystery. Using a group photo that included the hat maker, along with the height of several descendants, they estimated Mr. Stetson to have been six feet tall.
Ultimately, the John B. Stetson sculpture was created at 130 percent of actual height meaning if Stetson were standing, he would be roughly seven and a half feet tall. The final sculpture, including the bronze bench, weigh in at an impressive 1,600 pounds and were installed along Palm Court, near Elizabeth Hall, with the use of a forklift in August 2019 and a formal dedication was held over Friends and Family Weekend in October 2019.
Today, visitors can share a seat with the university’s namesake, take a selfie or two, and share their encounter with the world’s most famous hat maker.
Have you visited the sculpture and taken a selfie with Stetson? If so, share your image in the comments. We’d love to see it.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
Click the image above to support this site through Buy Me A Coffee. Your helps pay for website fees and maintenance, research fees for blog and book writing, photo usage and rights fees, and other associated costs. It might go to buying a bag of coffee, keeping me focused on the research topic at hand.
