Freeport residents, landmarks come to life in mural to be unveiled at library

Freeport’s history will soon be on full-time display at its library, with the unveiling of a mural showcasing the lives of some of the village's iconic residents. 

The mural was designed and painted by artist Marc Josloff, who typically works with watercolors and deployed similar techniques in his latest work. The acrylic mural shows dozens of figures and landmarks layered over each other.

A black-and-white portion, meant to represent historic Freeport, shows baymen trawling ocean waters. Another section is bright and colorful with a snapshot of a baseball team and the now-defunct speedway. 

The mural will be unveiled Sunday at the beginning of the nationwide celebration of National Library Week. This year's theme is “There’s More to the Story,” and library administrators hope the mural can take visitors on a trip back to the past.

Josloff said he hopes his work inspires residents to take a closer look at their community and identify ways to get involved in Freeport.

“I wanted to engender a sense of enthusiasm and love for their community,” he said. “A community only becomes alive to you when you get invested and get involved with it.”

Josloff, 75, who moved to Freeport in 1976 from Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, said he’s inspired by murals across the village, like the ones at the post office and the recreation center. The two post office murals were painted by artist William Gropper as part of the New Deal Treasury Relief Art Project during the Great Depression and show an airmail delivery and a wintry scene. 

“I find them tremendously inspiring,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be great if I could leave a legacy to the village and do something like that?” 

Josloff, who previously worked as an art educator in New York City schools, said it took hundreds of hours to complete the mural. He began painting the mural in August 2021.

The 12-foot mural is painted on three aluminum panels that Josloff installed on the library’s west wall, director Lee Ann Moltzen said. 

Librarian and archivist Regina Feeney helped Josloff identify past Freeport residents to memorialize in the mural, including Carlton J. Greenleaf, who served in the Civil War and died in 1934; Dandridge and Joseph Mott, two brothers who served and died in the Civil War but whose bodies were never returned to the village; and aviator Elinor Smith, known as the Flying Flapper of Freeport. 

“Some of these people were lesser known,” Feeney said. “A lot of people don't know who these people are, so it’s a great introduction to some of the other history of Freeport.”

By Brinley Hineman

brinley.hineman@newsday.com

Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.