“Bayside Story” features spiral friezes that wrap around the support columns, bearing animal and floral motifs as well as bronze reliefs that celebrate local history and culture. Indians paddling a canoe have a central position in the work. Around them are a settler's homestead, a Revolutionary war soldier, a farm, and Fort Totten. Boxer "Gentleman Jim" Corbett represents local heroes; a yacht and checkered flag portray local amusements. Once home to the Native American Matinecocks, in the late 1800s, the wealthy built estates in Bayside. In the early 1900's, the community was the home to stars of the silver screen. 

Commenting on the artwork, Ed McGowin, stated, "Community history can so easily be lost or forgotten...I consulted with the Bayside Historical Society and the community to choose significant local events and people...." The compelling result proudly tells the story of Bayside.

Ed McGowin was born in 1938 in Mississippi and received his B.A. at the University of Southern Mississippi. Initially trained as a painter, McGowin quickly began experimenting across media. His paintings, sculptures, conceptual art projects, films, writings, and public art installations have a southern sensibility rooted in his early experiences in Mississippi and Alabama. Throughout his career, McGowin has produced works in a wide variety of media that have been installed and exhibited in galleries, museums and public spaces. He has taught at institutions such as the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the State University of New York system. The first major publication of his work, “Name Change: One Artist - Twelve Personas - Thirty Five Years,” was published by the Mobile Museum of Art in 2006 and distributed by the University Press of Mississippi.