highlight incidents of persecution. Gaugel also used size to convey relative importance. Jesus is the largest of the historical figures portrayed. According to Paul Locher, writing in The Daily Record after Gaugel's death, Anabaptist leaders said "only Gaugel could have painted such a masterpiece because he was both willing to do the massive research...and brought no biases to the project as someone from within the faith might have done." When the painting was first put on display, some Amish community members had reservations, seeing it as self-promotional and therefore unseemly, and local farmers would not allow signage on their land. Others thought it might be helpful as a place to send tourists who "pester(ed) [them] with questions." Notable people portrayed George Blaurock Peter J. Dyck Conrad Grebel Jacob Hochstetler Balthasar Hubmaier Jesus Martin Luther Felix Manz Saint Patrick Saint Paul Michael Sattler Menno Simons Jonas Stutzman Ulrich Ulman Thielman J. van Braght Dirk Willems Ulrich Zwingli Historical events portrayed Bubonic Plague Conscientious objection in World War II Crusades Emigration by Anabaptists Reformation Other depictions The founding of The Budget The foundings of Goshen College, Bluffton University, and Eastern Mennonite University Artist Heinz Gaugel was born in the Black Forest Region of Germany, where he grew up speaking Swabish, a dialect similar to Pennsylvania Dutch. He moved to Canada in 1951. He was living in Ontario when he travelled to Columbus, Ohio in 1962, stopped in the town of Berlin for lunch, and overheard someone speaking what sounded much like his mother tongue. He became interested in Amish culture and history. He and his family moved to the Holmes County area in 1972 and in 1978, as a response to growing Amish tourism in the area, he decided to create the cyclorama to explain Anabaptist history to visitors. After the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center purchased the unfinished painting in 1988, he continued his work on it in their space, often while visitors watched. He completed the painting in 1992, but continued to work in his studio at the center until shortly before his death in 2000. References Murals in Ohio Cycloramas Buildings and structures in Holmes County, Ohio Mennonitism Amish in Ohio