Learn about the mural in the Lakeville post office

LAKEVILLE — The Depression-era mural found within the lobby of the Lakeville Post Office has been a source of intrigue for patrons of the postal service for many years.

Thanks to the efforts of the Lakeville Community Conservancy (LCC), the story of this artwork can now be found on newly installed historic signage within the post office.

Susan Galluzzo, president of the LCC, explained how this mural reflects the history of Lakeville.

“It speaks to basically the origins of Lakeville itself, which is going back to about 1748,” said Galluzzo.

Highlighting the importance of iron ore in Lakeville’s past, the art depicts the making of cannonballs during the Revolutionary War and includes the image of Lakeville hero Ethan Allen.

“Lakeville became known as basically the armer of the revolution,” said Galluzzo as she explained the importance of creating iron cannonballs and other armaments in town during the Revolutionary War.

The mural, by George R. Cox, was completed in 1942 as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) fine art initiative and represents one of roughly 400 such works in the state of Connecticut.

The New Deal and WPA are widely known for overhauling the nation’s economy while vanquishing the hardships of the Great Depression. As time marches on, the cultural aspects of these programs have begun to be forgotten.

Through the diligent work of local historians and conservationists, these relics of the past will have a chance to live on and be remembered for generations to come.

The LCC’s Peggy Sands expressed the importance of cherishing the area’s past.

“To the extent that people can learn about the history of the town and appreciate it, we create a little unity in our society, and I think we all need that,” said Sands.

The mural and signage are on display within the post office lobby and can be viewed during regular business hours.

Latest News

State intervenes in sale of Torrington Transfer Station

State intervenes in sale of Torrington Transfer Station

The entrance to Torrington Transfer Station.

Photo by Jennifer Almquist

TORRINGTON — Municipalities holding out for a public solid waste solution in the Northwest Corner have new hope.

An amendment to House Bill No. 7287, known as the Implementor Bill, signed by Governor Ned Lamont, has put the $3.25 million sale of the Torrington Transfer Station to USA Waste & Recycling on hold.

Keep ReadingShow less
waste management

Juneteenth and Mumbet’s legacy

Juneteenth and Mumbet’s legacy
Sheffield resident, singer Wanda Houston will play Mumbet in "1781" on June 19 at 7 p.m. at The Center on Main, Falls Village.
Jeffery Serratt

In August of 1781, after spending thirty years as an enslaved woman in the household of Colonel John Ashley in Sheffield, Massachusetts, Elizabeth Freeman, also known as Mumbet, was the first enslaved person to sue for her freedom in court. At the time of her trial there were 5,000 enslaved people in the state. MumBet’s legal victory set a precedent for the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts in 1790, the first in the nation. She took the name Elizabeth Freeman.

Local playwrights Lonnie Carter and Linda Rossi will tell her story in a staged reading of “1781” to celebrate Juneteenth, ay 7 p.m. at The Center on Main in Falls Village, Connecticut.Singer Wanda Houston will play MumBet, joined by actors Chantell McCulloch, Tarik Shah, Kim Canning, Sherie Berk, Howard Platt, Gloria Parker and Ruby Cameron Miller. Musical composer Donald Sosin added, “MumBet is an American hero whose story deserves to be known much more widely.”

Keep ReadingShow less
history

A sweet collaboration with students in Torrington

A sweet collaboration with students in Torrington

The new mural painted by students at Saint John Paul The Great Academy in Torrington, Connecticut.

Photo by Kristy Barto, owner of The Nutmeg Fudge Company

Thanks to a unique collaboration between The Nutmeg Fudge Company, local artist Gerald Incandela, and Saint John Paul The Great Academy in Torrington, Connecticut a mural — designed and painted entirely by students — now graces the interior of the fudge company.

The Nutmeg Fudge Company owner Kristy Barto was looking to brighten her party space with a mural that celebrated both old and new Torrington. She worked with school board member Susan Cook and Incandela to reach out to the Academy’s art teacher, Rachael Martinelli.

Keep ReadingShow less
community