MURALS AT THE BEAUFORT POST OFFICE
At the corner of Pollock and Front Streets in Beaufort,
NC is the town's Post Office.
Inside are four murals painted in 1940 by Simka Simkhovitch.
During the Depression, he was one of several artists paid by the government
to create art for public spaces so that they could have jobs. Simka
Simkhovitch was a Russian immigrant and a fine artist.
Beaufort is a coastal town on Bogue
Sound near the North Carolina Outer Banks, where there is a rich history
of fishing and living off the water. When Simkhovitch was asked to
paint murals for a Beaufort landmark, he chose scenes relating to life
on the water and the history of the area.
The
main mural shows the heroic efforts of men from this area to save the crew of
the schooner Crissie Wright. The light illuminating the painting comes from
the blazing bonfires built on shore to lift the spirits of the shipwrecked men.
The ship wrecked on Shackleford Banks, January 11, 1886, during
a violent storm. Unfortunately, all the crew died. They are buried in the
Old Burying Grounds on Ann Street in Beaufort. A
simple marker shows their common grave.
The next mural shows the supply and mail boat,
the Orville W., on its way to the Cape
Lookout Lighthouse near Beaufort. The stormy sky and rough sea show the
hardships which the lighthouse keeper and crew of the boat endured. A lifesaving
station was built near the lighthouse due to the wreck of the Crissie Wright.
Examples of lifesaving tools and techniques
can be found at the Maritime Museum on Front Street in Beaufort.
In this mural, the Canada
Geese are live decoys for the duck hunting season. Fishing nets in
the background show the importance of marine life as a food source and
livelihood for local people.
The last mural shows the "Sand
Ponies" which are still found on some of the barrier islands.
For more information, please visit the library at the Maritime Museum
in Beaufort.
Click here for access
to additional pictures and information!
