This page is referenced by:

• 1 2019-11-15T14:58:58+00:00 Reflection 12 plain 2019-12-14T04:54:45+00:00 Interviews
  Doing participatory historical geography, I have interviewed four community members in order to conceptualize their views of the train station and its influence on the community. I have interviewed Daniele Spence, president of the Glassboro Historical Society; George Armstrong, a lifelong Glassboro resident; Maureen St. John, a Glassboro resident and former teacher; and Rich Drobil, a lifelong Glassboro resident and a trustee of the Glassboro Historical Society.
  
  Academic Research
  I have searched the digital resources available through the Digital Scholarship Center. The newspapers provided information about the railroad's opening and closing. Some digitized images provided additional perspectives on the view of the station and the trains that passed by.
  
  
  Field Work
  The West Jersey Depot has open houses once a month, so I visited during one which was focused on a Civil War Reenactment. I met with members of the Glassboro Historical Society who were able to describe the artifacts available in the museum. They showed me albums of historical photos and explained the building's connection to its past. While my primary interest was in exploring the station for its historical significance, I also investigated its current cultural significance as a welcome center and a place of congregation.
  
  In order to obtain more information about the train station, I visited one night to see and hear the train passing by. I was met by Rich Drobil, who showed me around and provided me with information about some photographs of the station. At 8:38 PM, we went out to see the train pass by, and I recorded audio of the whistle. Counting the cars that night, there were 41 of them, though the station has had more than 60 on some nights.
  
  Influence on the Cultural Geographer
  My experience doing participatory historical geography has helped me to see the train station and Glassboro as a whole in a new light. Each community has a story of its own waiting to be shared, but it is left to the researchers to discover that story and make it known to a general audience. I now see the train station as more than just a building next to railroad tracks, the trains which pass by being the reason why I hear a train whistle while in my dorm room every weeknight. The station is dynamic, and it has its own history, a story of rising and falling, and rising once more. The story mirrors that of many empires, businesses, and day-to-day experiences. Though the station was built before Rowan University, the station is across the street from a welcome arch, greeting students and faculty before they entered the campus. The station brought workers to the businesses and industries in Glassboro, such as the Glassworks factory. For the community, the mural illustrates the sense of welcome that the train station has provided. In the future, it will offer a glimpse into a history of rising, falling, and rising again.
  
  Acknowledgements
  I would like to thank the members of the Glassboro Historical Society for their involvement in this project. They have volunteered their time to be interviewed and to offer their perspectives and insights. I especially would like to thank Daniele Spence, George Armstrong, Maureen St. John, and Rich Drobil, who I have personally interviewed. Daniele Spence gave me historical background on the train station and on the Glassboro Historical Society's role. She also assisted me with finding photos at the train station. George Armstrong gave me a cultural perspective of the station by providing a personal account of his experience there as a child, riding the trains with his family. Maureen St. John also gave me a cultural perspective of the station by explaining how her husband lived near the station and worked there when he was a child. Rich Drobil met me at the train station one night and gave me historical information about the station, assisted me with finding photos, and helped me obtain an audio file of the train passing by the station.