JERRY WOLKOWITZ Part of a mural at Borough Hall, Freehold, shows the historic American Hotel, Main Street.
Wini Smart was commissioned by Freehold Borough officials to paint a mural that would commemorate the bicentennial celebration of the United States in 1976. Her brush strokes ended up leaving a legacy of color, texture, design and rich history that will endure for generations to come.
A well-known artist in the area in the 1970s, Smart now resides in Florida and has two art studios, one in Boca Grande, Fla., and one in North East Harbor, Maine.
According to her son, John Diehl, the artist is currently in France and unavailable for comment.
Councilman Kevin Coyne, the borough’s historian, noted that the mural painted by Smart at Borough Hall, West Main Street, details the important people, places and events that helped to shape Freehold. Coyne called the mural a "surviving legacy of the bicentennial."
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Former Freehold Borough Mayor Roger Kane and former Borough Clerk Vivian Taylor (above) are pictured in artist Wini Smart’s 1976 bicentennial mural.
Most people in the borough know Roger Kane. In addition to being a native of the town, Kane was mayor of the borough from 1975-80. He is captured in the mural with Vivian Taylor, who served as borough clerk for many years.
Another significant person represented in the mural is Lillie Hendry, who graduated from the Court Street School in the segregated era and eventually retired as supervisor of the guidance department at Freehold Borough High School.
In a conversation with Kane, Freehold’s former mayor said the design of the mural was meant to portray "the mayor and town clerk greeting all who entered the borough hall."
He said the painting was commissioned by the Freehold Borough Bicentennial Committee and was installed in 1976.
"The painting was commissioned to have something in the town that would have a lasting effect," Kane said.
When asked what he thought of his portrayal in the mural, Kane replied with a chuckle, "I was just in the right place at the right time."
Hendry, who now spends her time working as a trustee of the Court Street School Education Community Center, said she was chosen for the mural because of her involvement in the education field.
"I had been in the community for so long and was very involved in education," Hendry said, noting that she asked to have children included. "I wanted my students to be the focus. We had two of my students pose for the mural."
Hendry said she loved the whole idea of the mural and its placement in the town hall.
"I think it’s a wonderful tribute to our community. The mural represents the whole community," she said.
She said the most wonderful result of posing for the mural was reports from her young niece and nephew who stop by town hall, bring their friends, point to the mural and say, "That’s my aunt!"
"The piece is beautiful," Hendry said. "It includes the history of our past, the present and if you look, you can see a vision for the future," the retired educator added.
Smart’s artwork depicts the story of a town, its coming of age as Monmouth Courthouse in 1776 and its evolution into the modern day neighborhood community now known as Freehold.
Smart begins her pictorial historical journey with the town in the 1600s to the 1700s. The mural, which spans the length of the entrance wall of Borough Hall, is divided into two panels. The left panel depicts Sen. Richard Stout as he signs an agreement with Popomora, chief of the Navasink Indians for Monmouth County lands.
A courthouse was built in 1715 and at that time the community was given the name Monmouth Courthouse. According to a plaque in front of the mural, a meeting was held at the courthouse to denounce the tyranny of Great Britain. This was the first movement in New Jersey to further the Revolutionary cause.
In June 1778, a major encounter of the Revolution, the Battle of Monmouth, was fought on land just outside town along what is now Route 522 in Freehold Township and Manalapan. British Gen. Sir Henry Clinton established his headquarters at the Covenhoven house on West Main Street. The house still stands on West Main Street and is open to the public.
Notable also in the painting is Mary Hayes, better known as Molly Pitcher. The painting depicts Molly holding the "rammer staff" with her wounded husband beside her at the Battle of Monmouth. History records that Molly seized the weapon from her husband’s hands and loaded the cannon and stood at her post under fire.
Smart also memorialized St. Peter’s Church on Throckmorton Street. Built around 1771, the church is the only building remaining in downtown Freehold that was standing during the Battle of Monmouth. The church was used as a shelter for the wounded during the battle.
A large military figure, standing prominent with his weapon ready to fight for freedom, represents the people of Freehold who fought in the Revolution. Smart chose Michael Lilley, a borough resident, as her model for the colonial soldier.
The large main panel of the impressive mural moves the viewer toward modern day life.
According to the plaque, the figure of the farmer represents agriculture, the important industry of the 1700s and the 1800s. Smart’s work depicts the farmer and his land on an average working day.
The Battle of Monmouth Monument, built in 1876-1884, commemorates the Battle of Monmouth. Bas relief sculptures at the base of the monument portray battle scenes, including Molly Pitcher’s activities. Smart’s rendering also portrays the statue that stands at the top of the monument depicting Liberty Triumphant. This rendering separates the agricultural era from the Industrial Era. Her work defines the industrial as the American Hotel, beautifully rendered, as it was at the time, with a stagecoach riding along its front view. In 1809, an enlarged courthouse was ready in Freehold. Smart has also painted an early firehouse and the town’s famous racetrack with men in top hats calling the race.
The Karagheusian rug mill, the leading industry at the time, is vivid in the design and includes as its part of history a row of workers’ homes built on Center Street, which still stand today.
The backdrop of the mural displays a rendering of Freehold Area Hospital (now CentraState Medical Center) in Freehold Township, with figures of a nurse and doctor caring for a patient. One can also view Nestle company, with its smokestacks in the distance.