On an unseasonably warm Saturday day afternoon this September, I took a group of students on a historic walking tour of downtown Binghamton. We discussed the city’s strategic location on the confluence of two rivers, the Susquehanna and Chenango, discussed why those rivers have Native American names, toured the old canal location, and had a good conversation about why our city has a bust of Christopher Columbus!
I started these tours because I felt like students didn’t learn much about a city they call home for four years. In fact, a group of young men in a truck interrupted the tour and asked what I was doing. “Binghamton has a history?” they responded.
My graduate friends always joke that I’m a one-woman ambassador for Binghamton, which is true, I love it! And now my students can too!
