Crossroads of the Southern Tier aims to be more than the culmination of months of work and four years of academia. The 27-minute documentary marks the first chapter in a series dedicated to the history of the Underground Railroad and Civil War era in the Southern Tier.
Journalism and Mass Communication seniors Danny Bush and Matthew Turnquist researched, traveled, interviewed, shot and edited over four months in order to rediscover the historical fabric of Cattaraugus and Allegany counties.
The massively expandable story consists of two parts. The first, a nearly 30-minute overview of Underground Railroad activity and the people and places that made it possible. The second, a highly detailed set of stories about the local Civil War heroes from the immediate region. Viewers will hear from the likes of nine local historians, such as Allegany County's massively animated and engaging Craig Braack and Olean's ever-conversational Della Moore.
Bush and Turnquist hope the first installment will reinvigorate and encourage interest and involvement in local communities' origins, while potentially becoming an engaging supplement for teachers and students in the area.
Both parts will be made available via local libraries and on the web in the coming weeks. In the meantime,Check out the promotional trailer for “Crossroads of the Southern Tier: Allegany and Cattaraugus.”
Seniors' Capstone Reflects on Ties to Underground Railroad
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by Danny Bush '13