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• 1 media/mural pic.png 2019-10-04T14:32:16+00:00 Imagined Glassboro Mural Proposal 16 plain 2019-12-18T14:08:52+00:00 On a brisk morning in early October, our Honors Cultural Geography class took a historical tour of Glassboro and visited the Heritage Glass Museum.  Major events throughout the last few hundred years were highlighted, such as the origins of the Whitney Glassworks, presidential visits to Glassboro, the revitalization of Rowan University, and the construction of Rowan Boulevard. However, what resonated with me after the tour was the recurring theme of fire. The multiple glass factories across Glassboro harvested its power and used it to create works of art.  At the same time, there was a constant risk of losing buildings to fire, as seen by losing the Auditorium and the Junior Mechanics Building. 
  
  As a result, I decided to have my mural portray the history of Glassboro as seen through fire. Fire molded each piece of glass that was created in the glass factories and tore down multiple buildings. My mural tells this story, as there are images of the rubble left by fires at the Junior Mechanics Building and the Auditorium, while also pictured are the Glassblower Statue and a glass bottle.  As a result, my mural shows the multifaceted nature of the influence of fire on the history of Glassboro. 
  In two of the corners, we see the positive aspects of fire in Glassboro; the Glassblower Statue and the glass bottles would not exist if Glassboro had never harvested fire. At the same time, if fire never came to Glassboro, we would not see destruction left by burnt down buildings, which is shown in the other two corners. This helps my mural portray the idea that Glassboro is simultaneously being molded and destroyed by fire.
  
  However, one of the most curious parts about Glassboro's modeling by fire can not be seen with the human eye. This was first brought to my attention by Mr. Andrew Halter, who is a second generation fireman. His dad was convinced by his neighbor to join the volunteer force when Andrew was just a kid.  Because of this, Andrew said he experienced a sense of community with other firefighter families.  Though they had very different backgrounds and full-time jobs, volunteer firemen and their families bonded together and shared a very unique bond. They would have dinners together at the fire house, and there would be parties between the coworkers who soon became as close as family.  
  
  The sense of community that the firehouse brings has continued into the present day. Every December, the Glassboro Fire Department hosts a holiday party. Here, kids can meet Santa and they're given gifts that are donated by the community. This event is huge; it brings together multiple communities in Gloucester County. The department also assists with other events around town around this time, such as the tree lighting in town square.  
  
  This welcoming feeling is year round, not just limited to the holidays. As described by Ms. Maureen St. John, resident of Glassboro, the Fire Department are the most flexible and versatile members of the community. When her basement flooded, the firemen were the first on the scene. Though this is not their job, they performed this deed out of the kindness of their own hearts, as true members of a community family would do.  Glassboro resident and fireman Andrew Halter described a similar situation. As a kid, shingles of his roof went missing and needed repair.  Though none of the firemen worked as roofers, they banded together and constructed a new roof for his family. The good deeds and community service done by firemen mold the Glassboro family, an effect of fire that cannot be seen with the naked eye.