House Divided Launch Weekend

This weekend was the launch of the House Divided Project. One thing that stood out to me in particular was the tour at the courthouse. Though the weather was horrible, we were still able to get an abbreviated version of the tour and witness the new technology being used in it. This event started with a video giving the background of the courthouse. Then came the heart of the tour. The tour was supposed to be a walking tour around Carlisle, though we ended up staying in the main room of the courthouse and on the steps of the courthouse which were shielded from the rain via an awning. What was special about the tour was that it utilized augmented reality. I had heard the term ‘augmented reality’ thrown around before, but I really didn’t think too much about what it meant and I guess I really didn’t know what exactly to expect. However, I ended up being blown away by this concept. In the case of this tour, you hold up an iPad or a smartphone and images of Carlisle as it was back in the day would appear on the screen (there would also be text, audio and other forms of streaming). Even though we only got to go to two destinations on the tour, this was enough to demonstrate the potential of this new technology. You definitely got the sense that in a few years this will definitely be not only a staple of historical tours, but a tool that will revolutionize and be used throughout various aspects of society and life. Asides from being impressed by the technology, it was also great to finally go in the courthouse after having studied about it through class and research, and learn more about the history from the civil war era.  Overall the whole weekend was a great experience!