A scene from the book The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper.

Mural restored and on display in the lobby of Mamaroneck Cinemas 

Mural size: 7′ 6″ x 7′ 10″

 THE HEADLINES

• The Defense of the Rock is one of 8 murals installed at Mamaroneck Junior High School in 1941.

• The project to install the 8 murals was planned by students to honor Mamaroneck writer James Fenimore Cooper.

• After reading Cooper’s novel The Last of the Mohicans, students identified their favorite scene.

• Harold Freeman Thresher, an artist attending the Yale School of Fine Arts, was selected to paint the scene as he imagined it.

• The mural was painted on canvas and then glued to the school’s cafeteria wall in 1941.

• All of the mural painters lived with local families that summer until the project was completed.

• The scene depicts a perilous conflict in Glens Falls, New York, a pivotal point in the novel that captures the challenge of life in the wilderness.

What is the story behind the mural?

In 1934, ninth-grade students at Mamaroneck Junior High School read five novels by James Fenimore Cooper, a prominent American novelist who lived in Mamaroneck for a while after marrying Susan Delancey in 1811. These novels, known as The Leatherstocking Tales, follow the adventures of Natty Bumppo as he seeks freedom in the wilderness while retreating from the advance of civilization. They are regarded as classics of American literature.

To commemorate Cooper's connection to the Mamaroneck community, the students proposed the creation of five murals, each depicting their favorite scene from one of his novels. In addition to the five murals based on the Leatherstocking Tales, three more murals would illustrate the life of James Fenimore Cooper in Mamaroneck.

The eminent mural painter Eugene F. Savage oversaw the project. Artists attending the Yale School of Fine Arts were commissioned to create the scenes. The artists lived with local families while they completed and installed the murals.

The eight murals were painted on canvas and then glued to the cafeteria walls at Mamaroneck Junior High School in 1941. Due to the redesign of the cafeteria space in 2022, seven of the murals were removed from the walls by the Mamaroneck Historical Society in order to preserve them.

What scene does the mural depict?

The mural you are viewing depicts a scene from Cooper’s book The Last of the Mohicans, published in 1826. This painting, titled “The Defense of the Rock,” was created by Yale artist Harold Freeman Thresher.

The mural depicts a scene from Chapters 7 and 8 in The Last of the Mohicans.  The action takes place in a rock-filled cave at Glens Falls, New York. The characters Hawkeye, Chingachgook, David Gamut, and Uncas, along with Cora and Alice Munro and Major Duncan Heyward, seek shelter in the cave. They are attacked by Iroquois during the night, wounding singer David Gamut. Heyward rescues Gamut, and they prepare for battle. Despite Hawkeye's criticism of Uncas's aim, Heyward defends him for saving his life.

The group of travelers is in a perilous situation, facing the threat of further attacks. Despite their differences, they must work together to protect the rest of the group.

James Fenimore Cooper was inspired to include the cave in this climactic scene in the novel after exploring the Adirondacks and visiting the caves at Glens Falls in 1825. Historically, this area of New York played a major role in our country’s development, serving as a route used by Native Americans and by troops during the Revolutionary War.

The cave, perched above the Hudson River, is now known as “Cooper’s Cave” and is open to the public.

Mural information compiled by Gail Boyle with assistance from Leslie Brill and input from Dr. Steven P. Harthorn, recognized expert on James Fenimore Cooper.

Who is the artist?

Biography of Harold Freeman Thresher

Harold Freeman Thresher, the painter of the scene titled “The Defense of the Rock,” was born in Melrose Highlands, Massachusetts, on June 22, 1918. He was the fifth son of Avery A. Thresher and Florence Wilson Thresher. Avery was one of the prosperous owners of Thresher Brothers Silk Stores in Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Baltimore, but he passed away when Harold was only 7 years old.

Harold’s parents nurtured his passion for the arts. His mother taught him both quilting and painting. Following high school, he attended the Massachusetts School of Art, now known as Massachusetts College of Art and Design. After graduating, he was accepted into the Yale School of Fine Arts, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree.

With the onset of World War II, Harold served as a photo intelligence specialist in the United States Army Air Forces in Western Europe, eventually rising to the rank of captain by the war's end in 1945. While still stationed in Western Europe, he met his future wife, Jenny Sandron, a Belgian national, and they were married on November 3, 1945, in Montignies-sur-Sambre, Belgium.

Harold returned to the United States with Jenny in late 1945. After a brief time in New York City, they settled in Wakefield, Massachusetts, where they lived until 1990. Harold was a co-founder of the Thresher-Petrucci Studio, a graphics design firm located in Wakefield. Thresher gained notable recognition as the designer for the packaging of G.I. Joe commercial products and Revell model airplanes and ships.

In 1990, Harold and Jenny built a winter home in New Port Richey, Florida. They spent their summers at their second home in Braintree, Vermont. Harold passed away in May 2006 in Florida at the age of 87 and was buried in Braintree with full military honors.

Biography researched and compiled by Victor Mason, with special thanks to Linda Thresher Grimes for information.

For additional information about the 8 murals, and images of each, go to:

www.mamaroneckhistoricalsociety.org/news