My hope for this Digital Public History Exhibit is to teach SUNY Cortland students, faculty/staff, and community members the history of our institution. I had never known about the Cortland 1919 Fire. I had known about the school changing location, but I was always under the impression the location changed due to the want of expansion.
With our 150th anniversary coming up, I would love to see this exhibit spread across campus for everyone to hear about. Without the fire ever happening, SUNY Cortland would not be what we are today. It would be great for everyone to learn about the fire and to understand where our roots as a school began. It was very interesting to learn about all of the rumors and mysteries surrounding the Normal School 1919 fire; I think others would find that very interesting as well.
Because the fire occurred due to unknown causes, I think it would be cool for students across campus to learn about what may have caused it and to develop theories regarding the cause. It could be ran as a huge “CLUE” game, which would be fun.
I just think it is really important for students, faculty members and community members to have access to this little known piece of Cortland history. I look forward to seeing how far this exhibit is spread.