The Maryland Historical Society asked local citizens to submit photographs they'd snapped of the recent Freddie Gray protests, subsequent looting and clean-up efforts. By the following day, the organization had gotten so many images that it filled up a special email account.
Society spokeswoman Laura Rodini wrote in an email that about 100 people either asked a question about or emailed photos to remembrance@mdhs.org, which is linked to a Dropbox file sharing program. The images were to become part of a digital collection on the Historical Society website which, according to Rodini, is expected to launch in about a month.
In addition, the Historical Society will also be collecting oral histories from local protesters and civil rights leaders.
"We believe this is an important topic for public history," Society President Burt Kummerow wrote on the website.
But, some people submitted up to 50 photos apiece and by Wednesday afternoon, the account was full. "People were getting bounce-back messages for about a day," Rodini wrote.
The organization bought additional space, and the email account reopened Thursday morning. Rodini said staff members are attempting to contact those who received bounce-back messages to ask them to resubmit their images.