02/01/2019
I submitted this documentary, “Crossroads of the Southern Tier: Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties,” for my undergraduate “Capstone”(senior thesis) as a Journalism Mass Communication student at St. Bonaventure University in May of 2013. It took two semesters of research, contact building and planning to put together. It provides a brief look into the incredible history of select parts of our Southern Tier and its role in the Underground Railroad.
A green, 22-year-old filmmaker (Danny Bush), alongside a much more organized friend and colleague Matthew W. Turnquist, embarked on a story that kept growing and growing as time continued to slip away. Long days of filming, traveling and editing while balancing a full-time-student workload made a massive task gargantuan.
I never formally released this piece to the public at the time of wrap because I wanted it to be so much more, with visions of grandeur and multiple installments. But now, nearly 6 years more experienced, I realize that this was quite an amazing feat for a college kid with no prior documentary experience, no license/car and no budget! Thankfully, Matt made travel, organization and editing much easier to bare.
On this February 1st, in honor of Black History Month, I want to share a project that many have heard about but most likely haven’t seen.
Major thanks to Della Moore, Bill Heaney, Craig Braack, Mark Voorheis, David Deckman and many others that made this piece possible. This is only a start, and a much deeper look at our incredible local history is certainly deserved.
Please understand this is student work from nearly 6 years ago, and that I’ve come quite far since then!
I present to you “Crossroads of the Southern Tier: Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties,” inspired by the incredible historical treasure, “And Why Not Every Man?: An Account of Slavery, the Underground Railroad, and the Road to Freedom in New York's Southern Tier,” by author Helene C. Phelan.