Mapping Our Past: The Women of Fitchburg State's Campus Buildings

Mapping Our Past: The Women of Fitchburg State's Campus Buildings

Exhibit Location: Library 1st floor, next to the entrance

To celebrate Women’s History Month, the Library and University Archives have curated an exhibit featuring the women who serve as the namesakes for a number of buildings and spaces around campus, including our very own Library. 

The exhibit features artifacts from the University records about Florence Conlon and Dr. Helen Ross Russell, the namesakes for Conlon Hall and Russell Towers; Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio, a University alumna and benefactor, and namesake of the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library; and Alice Freeman Palmer, former President of Wellesley College and member of the Massachusetts State Board of Education, the namesake for Palmer Hall, which was demolished to make space for the construction of the Hammond Building. 

Centered around our current campus map, we have used numbering to tie together building location on campus with material locations in the exhibit. We hope that you enjoy taking a stroll through the past, and learning about the women who shaped our University’s history and landscape. We hope it broadens your perspective on your own campus.

While we are happy to celebrate the legacy of these four women, it is also important to recognize that the history they represent is not representative of all of our students. These women, like the majority of our students and faculty past and present, are all white. The history represented in these buildings is one of a predominantly white institution. In recognition of this year’s National Women’s History Month’s theme, “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion,” our exhibit would be incomplete without this note.

This exhibit was curated by Olivia Rossetti, Eamon Toohey, and Asher Jackson, with assistance from Patrick Koetsch. It is located in the display case next to the entrance and front desk.