A document signed by village residents nearly 200 years ago, an early Fredonia Academy course catalog and the experiences of students who attended the institution in the 1800s are among the subjects of a new student-produced podcast series exploring the history of higher education in Fredonia. The series, "A Cabinet of Curiosities: 200 Years of Higher Education in Fredonia, N.Y.," is part of SUNY Fredonia's yearlong bicentennial celebration, "Celebrating Two Centuries of Impact.
The project brings together students and faculty from the Department of History and Sound Recording Technology program and Reed Library's Special Collections and Archives to explore historical documents and artifacts that tell the story of Fredonia since 1826.
The podcasts grew from research conducted by students in history courses between 2022 and 2025. Using materials from the university archives, students investigated historical objects and documents and developed podcast scripts as final class projects. Students in the Sound Recording Technology program subsequently recorded and produced the episodes, with final audio production and engineering completed through a project internship.
The series debuted on October 4th, exactly 200 years after Fredonia Academy welcomed its first 15 students. Its inaugural episode features Department of History Chair and Professor Mary Beth Sievens and Amanda Shepp, Coordinator of Special Collections and Archives, discussing the original Fredonia Academy subscription list, held in the collections of the Darwin R. Barker Museum in the village.
The document records the financial commitments made by local residents to establish an institution of higher education in their community, beginning a tradition of support that would continue through the Fredonia Normal School, Fredonia State Teachers College, SUNY College at Fredonia and today's SUNY Fredonia.
Other episodes explore the educational opportunities available to male and female students in 1842 and the academy's academic offerings in 1853-1854.
The episodes were researched and written by Maria Suri and Erin Hibbert, respectively, with Suri's episode recorded with Jenna Salisbury.
Future episodes will explore the expansion of campus under architect I.M. Pei and Partners, the origins of the Fredonia Blue Devils and the experiences of incoming students across generations.
Students in a 1950s art class at SUNY Fredonia
