Stonington — Two hundred artists from around the country will descend on downtown Westerly-Pawcatuck in September to paint 15 murals done in a vintage advertising style on the walls of local businesses.

So far two murals have been announced — one that commemorates the annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Stonington and Westerly high schools on the wall of C.C. O’Brien’s Irish Sports Bar and Cafe at 8 Mechanic St. in Pawcatuck, and one depicting the historic Shore Line Electric Railway, which ran between Westerly and the Rhode Island shoreline resorts between 1906 and 1922, on the Hall Johnson Building at 21 Canal St. in Westerly.

Two Boston artists created the mural design for C.C. O’Brien’s while artists from Chicago and Philadelphia contributed the design for the Hall Johnson Building.

“It’s like painting history one wall at a time,” said Wendy Brown, the president of the downtown business association who is also chairing the local committee organizing the mural project.

The painting of the approximately 300-square-foot murals, which is slated for Sept. 13-17, is designed not only to showcase the culture and history of the region but to help beautify the downtown area and boost ongoing revitalization efforts.

“The murals become an attraction that help make downtown Westerly-Pawcatuck a destination,” Brown said.

She said the idea for the so-called Bricks and Murals project came from discussions with local sign artist Cameron Bortz, who owns Finest Kind Signs in Pawcatuck, and who has been a member of the artists who call themselves the Walldogs. The group has been painting the murals in communities across the Midwest for more than 20 years. This would their first foray into the Northeast.

On their website, the Walldogs described themselves as “a group of highly skilled sign painters and mural artists from all over the globe. The Walldog Movement is quickly gaining popularity, and is a great way for small towns to boost their tourism. Imagine a “pack” of talented artists descending upon your town to paint the most beautiful murals you can imagine. Every wall that a fellow Walldog touches springs to life with images of local places, people, and products that have historic significance to each town.”

She said the committee is now in the process of raising the $150,000 to pay the 30 artists and their assistants who create the murals for their work as well as expenses. The other Walldogs volunteer their time. A festival is being organized to complement the painting of the murals.

The committee has held several fundraisers so far and have collected pledges and sponsorships of $60,000. More are planned. Sponsors who donate $10,000 get a plaque on the mural.

Browns said a maintenance fund will also be created to ensure the preservation of the murals once they are complete. In addition, she said at the end of the project the original artwork for the murals will be auctioned off. The committee may also create a walking tour of the murals that covers their historical context.

Information about the project is at www.bricksandmurals.org.

j.wojtas@theday.com