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by Camille Jadoo
An Enlightened man once said, "Art is a window to the past." This quote
explains the Dolgeville mural to all that observe it. Throughout the life
of the mural, many classes and towns have passed through the historic
post office to see this work of art. The painting itself is a picture
of slave's enroute to freedom while staying at the Brockett Farm, a stop
on the Underground Railroad near Dolgeville, NY.
Before the mural was painted there had to be an idea. The idea was to
decorate the wall of the post office. Artists who wanted to paint the
mural were urged to enter competitions organized by the Fine Arts Section
of the Federal Works Agency. Finally an artist was selected to paint the
Dolgeville mural. His name was James Michael Newell.
His wife, who painted under the name Mardy Allen, assisted him in the
mural. They were from New York City but they met in Nice, Paris where
they were educated.
Newell began to search for suitable subject matter and studied the local
history. From his studies he came up with the subject of "The Underground
Railroad" because of the town's rich history and its connection with the
Underground Railroad. This mural shows a group of Negro's attempting to
escape and staying at the Brockett farm which is depicted in the mural.
It was authorized in February of 1940 and completed in September 1940.
The mural has been well publicized. A member of Dolgeville historical
society wrote an article on the mural describing its connection with the
Brockett Farm. Also, the Liberty Home, the present home of the Brockett's,
is included in the Dolgeville tour. In 1984 General Services Administration
put it on the inventory list of fine arts. The national museum of American
History also included the mural in a book written by the museum historian
in 1989. The book was on 1930's paintings and sculptures alone under New
Deal funding.
The importance of the mural to the community is huge. As already stated
it has been included in tours and various books. Classes have often visited
the "fine fresco", as the postmaster called it,
and it has been taught about in the local schools. Teachers bring their
students to see the mural so it can teach them about the Under Ground
Railroad.
This mural is truly a window to the past. In this mural one can see how
slavery used to be and how they escaped from it. Also Eleanor Franz let
this be a window to the past in her play "Crossover the Line". In this
play she discussed abolitionist movements and helped people look into
the past by the art form of the theatre.
Related Links:
- National Museum of American History
A letter from historian Barbara Melosh written to the postmaster of
the Dolgeville, NY post office. Mrs. Melosh was working on a book about
1930's painting's and sculptures.
- Mural comments
A letter from Dolgeville Postmaster John C. McGinnis in an effort to
keep "The Underground Railroad" mural intact.
- Letter from RFA student
A letter to Ms. Pope, from an RFA Student, attempting to gain national
recognition for the Dolgeville, NY mural "The Underground Railroad".
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