Heritage Parklet was created by the City of Cumberland following Urban Renewal in the early 1970's. The establishment of the Canal Place Heritage Area and the development of the Western Maryland Station as a tourist attraction (both adjacent to the downtown business district) led to the need for a visual and pedestrian connection between the spaces. The mural was commissioned in 2002 by Canal Place following a design grant from the Maryland Arts Council's Artist-in-education program. Completed in 2003, the images depict the September, 1912 Labor Day celebration which took place in the city. Overtly historicist, the point of the mural was to illustrate the changes in culture which have occurred along the neighboring streets and buildings, many of which remain in use.