Augmented reality revives Guelph’s abundant black past
A new initiative in Guelph is using technology to showcase the city’s rich black heritage during Black heritage Month.
Since the 1800s, there has been a black community in the Guelph, Wellington, and Waterloo area. Dennis Francis, the Guelph Black Heritage Society (GBHS) president, noted that Guelph was one of the towns designated as a haven.
The Black History Reclaiming Project, an augmented reality trip through history, is GBHS’s newest invention, and it is open to the public.
Francis said that this aids to tie innovation to antiquity.
The Underground Railroad Quilt, which is said to have held coded messages directing Black slaves towards freedom in the 1830s, is the focal point of this endeavour. Visitors may see a collection of historical movies that illustrate the significance of quilt designs and show the journey of two black pioneers from the southern states to Canada by scanning a QR code.
People may, according to Francis, immerse themselves in the histories of the folks who founded their town.
With three more augmented reality experiences planned to honour notable abolitionists Melissa Smith, Richard Pierpoint, and Harriet Tubman, the initiative is expected to grow.
The project is housed at Heritage Hall, which is situated within the old British Methodist Episcopal (BME) Church of Guelph at 83 Essex Street. The church congregation was established in the midst of Guelph’s first black community settlement in the 1850s.
Francis stressed that it functioned as the parish’s heart, as churches often did.
Black History Month means as much to the people of Geelvet as it does to the past.
As the term history is frequently associated with past events and the subject of slavery, Francis said that he usually defines February as Black Heritage Month. He stated that his organisation has made important commitments to the neighbourhood.
The site’s cultural value was acknowledged by the City of Guelph in 2013, when it was given the designation of historic building.
It is requested that visitors who want to see the Black History Restoration Project schedule an appointment in advance with GBHS.
