An mural by Hamilton favorite son Robert McCloskey has been “discovered” in an Elementary School in Westchester County, N.Y., thanks to the detective work of the school’s librarian.

The School Library Journal reports:

“Nobody knows how the mural came to be at the elementary school. According to Jane, her father had worked out a deal with a local dentist by the name of Vic Johnson to exchange dental work for a mural. Pequenakonck Elementary School was built in 1972, and one of the theories is that Johnson (or his family) may have given the McCloskey mural to the school when he closed his practice. Over the years, the mural was moved to several obscure locations around the school, but it now hangs in a hall outside the school library newly framed and encased in glass thanks to the school’s Parent Teacher Organization.”

 

Click here for a video of the unveiling.

The Butler County Historical Society has teamed up with the Lane Libraries, Heritage Hall, the City of Hamilton, the Hamilton Community Foundation and the Colligan History Project to honor the 100th birthday of Robert McCloskey throughout the year. Click here for a PDF brochure with a schedule of events.

Thanks to Gratia Banta, youth services manager at the Lane Libraries for the tip.