Created by artist Marion Grebow, the 26-foot long River of Names mural celebrates four centuries of community life in what is now Westport, Connecticut.



The mural's pictorial history flows from 1637, the first known contact by Europeans with the local Pequonnock tribe through the eras of Colonial Puritan settlement, American revolution and Connecticut Yankee farming, manufacturing and maritime trading. By the twentieth century, as summer beach colonists-celebrated artists, writers, actors, musicians, entertainers, producers and media people-lingered and made Westport their year-round home, they transformed it into a remarkable center of American creative influence. The saga extends through 1998 and completion of the Westport Public Library expansion on the Saugatuck River's east bank. In 1997 the Westport Library Association commissioned River of Names as a donor tile mural to help raise capital for the construction and to add artistic and historical interest to its new wing. Completed at the advent of the 21st century and the new millennium, it immediately became a popular treasure and town landmark.

From River of Names: An Historical Tile Mural at the Westport Public Library Westport, Connecticut, by Dorothy Curran. Copies of the catalogue are available for purchase at The Library Store.

	Joan Hume, Community Relations Director
	Tel: 203-291-4818	E-mail: jhume@westportlibrary.org

Last update: 3/11/04