The mural portrays American History in terms of a symbolic building of Fort Niagara. Over three dozen figures are depicted - Native Americans, French Explorers, British Colonialists, as well as American settlers and soldiers of several eras.

The painting, which is rendered in soft colors, sits above the entrance at the east end of the building's Ballroom.

American History was painted during World War II by Ernst Wille, who was at that time a German prisoner of war. Captured on D-Day by the Canadian Regiment de la Chaudiere, he was sent to Fort Niagara which then functioned as a POW camp.

Before being drafted into the German Army, Wille had trained as an artist at Cologne's Art School. Following repatriation, he entered the Munich Art School and has since become a well known figure in German Art, decorated by the German government for his many years of service in art and art education.