History Bites | These Walls Can Talk: The Often Untold, Mostly Misunderstood, and Occasionally Amusing Story of Connecticut’s New Deal Post Office Murals

The walls of your local post office have a story to tell. Between 1934 and 1943 the federal government placed over forty murals on the walls of twenty-three Connecticut post offices, including six in Fairfield County. For the last eighty years, the murals have been overlooked, misunderstood, and misinterpreted. Why are they there? Who put them up? What do they represent? Join historian Todd Jones to hear the stories of art, hope, and the Great Depression behind the murals.

Free with Museum admission. Please feel free to bring your own lunch. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

About the Speaker

Todd Jones was born and raised in Connecticut. He received a master’s degree in public history from Central Connecticut State University in 2011. For over ten years he has worked as a historian in the field of historic preservation, including with the Hartford Preservation Alliance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and, most recently, the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office. His history articles have appeared in Gettysburg Magazine, Connecticut History Review, Sea History, Washington History, and other publications. Todd lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Suzanne, and dog, Emma.

Image: Illustration done by the mural artist depicting the interior of the Shelton Post Office with its mural. National Archives.