New Philadelphia: using augmented reality to interpret slavery and reconstruction era historical sites

Abstract

Does a historical site lose its significance or become less worthy of interpretation if there are no surviving buildings? Can technology help present the stories of disadvantaged and disenfranchised groups whose heritage lacks well-preserved architecture or material culture? The emerging technology of augmented reality (AR) offers new ways of designing and shaping the public’s experience when visiting landmarks by enabling an unprecedented means to combine 3D historical visualization with historical landmarks. This especially applies to underrepresented groups whose heritages have not been well served by traditional modes of preservation and interpretation due to a variety of factors. These range from disadvantages relating to material culture to a greater emphasis on intangible heritage which have placed them outside the bounds of what archaeologist Laurajane Smith calls authorised heritage discourse. A project at the New Philadelphia National Historic Landmark, located in Pike County Illinois, seeks to address these issues through AR. The technology, while offering opportunities for historical interpretation, poses challenges in terms of designing AR systems that coordinate content presentation with specific locations as well as developing virtual historical content with varying levels of source materials.

Keywords:

• Augmented reality
• historical interpretation
• African American history
• slavery
• mobile

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Claire Martin and Terrance Martin from the Illinois State Museum, Christopher Fennell and Gerald McWorter from the University of Illinois and Urbana-Champaign, Diane Miller and Deanda Johnson from the National Park Service and the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program, and Phil Bradshaw from the New Philadelphia Foundation. We would also like to extend our gratitude to our anonymous peer reviewers who offered many insightful and constructive comments on our original manuscript, which helped us refine our arguments.

Notes

1. Other collaborators at the site of New Philadelphia include University of Illinois, University of Maryland, and University of North Carolina.

2. Personal communication with Claire Martin (2014).