Historic Mamaroneck 'Leatherstocking' Murals Will Be Lost

MAMARONECK, NY — James Fenimore Cooper famously wrote, “Every trail has its end, and every calamity brings its lesson.” It appears that while the more than half-century-old murals highlighting Mamaroneck's unique contribution to the rise of American literature will have reached the end of the trail, the hard lessons that inevitably accompany a loss of historically significant treasures will once again be left to future generations to learn.

In 1934, a group of Mamaroneck school teachers, students, parents and local artists conceived a project to highlight the birth of American literature and the man who changed the way the world viewed a fledgling nation.

After seven years of planning and fundraising, eight historic murals were installed and dedicated in the grand cafeteria space at what is now Mamaroneck High School on September 15, 1941, the birthday of James Fenimore Cooper.

Just over 80 years later, officials have decided that the artwork that has stood in tribute to the local contributions to an enduring American influence on culture around the globe for generations of Mamaroneck students is no longer relevant. They will make way for a future less rooted in the lessons of local history.

At a January 18 meeting, the Mamaroneck Board of Education voted to move forward with construction of a Design Lab at the high school, scheduled to begin in mid-March/early April, which will result in the destruction of as many as three historically significant murals. According to the current plans, the remaining five murals will be sealed behind new walls.

Superintendent Robert Schaps said at the meeting that an art conservation consultant "identified that the murals are in various states of condition after being on the walls since 1940. We also confirmed that it would be somewhere in the vicinity of $100,000 to $150,000 of additional cost to remove the murals." The superintendent recommended that the project move forward and that the murals be digitally archived before being removed or covered by walls.

The move came as a shock for those charged with keeping a community (and its students) connected to its shared heritage.

"Honestly, as a member of the community, these murals are what make Mamaroneck High School so unique," Mamaroneck Historical Society Co-President Gail Boyle told the school board. "When you walk around the hall here, there's very little artwork and suddenly you walk into this space and there's this tremendous installation of public art. I'm sorry that you don't see it that way, but it's a big loss to the community."

Five murals depict scenes from Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales, parts of which are believed to have been written when he lived in the area, according to the Mamaroneck Historical Society. In 1934, students themselves chose the important scenes from Cooper’s novels to depict in murals. Five Yale artists were awarded the commission to paint the "Leatherstocking Murals" with support from famed muralist Eugene E. Savage. The PTA arranged for the artists to live with local families during the project and installation in 1941.

Mamaroneck Historical Society leaders say there are no bad guys in this situation and suggest that the officials who voted to move forward with the construction plans, without a doubt, have the best interests of students in mind. In fact, Boyle, a lifelong educator, voiced support for the district's ambitious plans to create a learning space that will serve the needs of current and future Mamaroneck High students.

SEE ALSO: What Is It Named After? The Leatherstocking Trail

Privately, Mamaroneck Historical Society leaders admit not pushing harder and earlier for school officials to more carefully consider the gravity of their decision or to more thoroughly explore alternatives. Co-President John Pritts told Patch that giving a school district that was dealing with a pandemic and creating new protocols on an almost daily basis the space to deal with important issues of preservation, without outside pressure, seemed a responsible course.

In hindsight, he concedes relying on school officials to protect the culturally significant relic of the community's heritage might have been a mistake.

Pritts bristles at the notion, expressed by some, that the historical society alone should shoulder the responsibility of saving the murals. He said that the Mamaroneck Historical Society is, however, drafting a letter to school officials proposing that the decision to proceed in a way that does not protect the murals be reconsidered or, at the very least, plans be made to protect the paintings that will be walled over.

"Seeing a loss like this, the end of something of unbelievable cultural and historic value with no real public conversation is a failure," Pritts admitted. "It's a resounding failure on everyone's part. It's a failure on our part too."

Additional images of the murals that will be lost and last-ditch proposals to save the historic works can be found at the Mamaroneck Historical Society site.