The mural in the Delhi Post Office is getting some recognition 85 years after it was painted.
“It’s an important work of art in our area that hasn’t had much attention,” Pamela Benson, project coordinator, said.
Benson and Bovina Librarian Annette Corvelo applied for and received a project grant from the Roxbury Arts Group to create broader student and community awareness of the historic mural, a news release stated.
“This is a great opportunity to expand local awareness about this important mural,” Benson said. “The 1940 mural ‘The Down-Rent War’ is both a master work of New Deal era art and an important representation of the 1840s Anti-Rent War in Delaware County.”
The two worked with Andes Central School fourth grade teacher Mary Pelletier to introduce the mural to her students before they took a field trip to the post office to see the mural in person, Benson said.
Pelletier talked about the mural and about the Anti-Rent War. The 15 students got to see pictures of the mural that was painted by artist Mary Earley before they visited the post office June 4.
Benson said the students were excited when they walked into the post office and pointed their fingers toward the painting and said “there it is, there it is.” Bovina Historian Ray LaFever was also there to talk about the mural and answer questions from students.
“We’re lucky he’s here to help us,” Benson said, as he is “very well versed in the Anti-Rent War.” LaFever wrote a book about the history of Bovina and the Anti-Rent War affected many residents of the town.
Andes was at the center of the Anti-Rent War in Delaware County so it seemed appropriate to include Andes students as the first group of students to learn about the mural, Benson said. This fall, some area high school students will learn about the mural and conflict.
“Around 1839, the tenant farmers became aroused because they could not own the land they lived on and worked and must always pay rent to the manor lords,” Early stated when she painted the mural, the release stated.
According to information about the conflict on the Pomeroy Foundation website, wealthy landowner Stephen Van Rensselaer and Alexander Hamilton created a “durable lease” system that bypassed “the fact that this idea of feudalism had been made illegal in the state of New York in 1787. Along with requiring the tenants to pay their annual rent, they were also required to pay taxes on the land even though the tenants were only allowed to use it for agricultural purposes. The land owner, or patroon, had access to everything else on the land, including timber, mineral, and water rights. Also listed in the lease was the caveat that if the tenant wished to sell the land, they would be required to pay a quarter of the sale price directly to the patroon.”
The Anti-Rent War lasted from 1839 through 1846 in 11 upstate counties. In Andes, Delaware County Undersheriff Osman Steele was killed at a property sale at Moses Earle’s farm Aug. 7, 1845. The state’s Constitution was amended in 1846 to outlaw the durable lease system.
The scene in the mural shows a meeting of farmers just before dawn discussing plans to avert a neighboring farmer’s eviction, reminding viewers of the power of collective resistance in the face of injustice, the release stated.
“It’s the only mural in Delaware County painted during the Works Progress Administration era,” Benson said. “It was a big project at the time. It’s an amazing piece of art. The scope, depth, size and colors are wonderful.”
In addition to area students learning about the mural, LaFever will give a community presentation about the mural on Sept. 17 at the Bovina Public Library, the release stated. Benson said the time hasn’t been confirmed yet.
The grant also paid for a photograph of and information about the mural to be printed on oversize postcards that will be available at area post offices this fall. Benson said she hopes people will visit the mural in Delhi.