The interdisciplinary team receives ongoing support to visualize the past

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a $98,500 grant to an interdisciplinary team led by Virginia Tech to create a prototype augmented reality program that brings Civil War history to visitors’ fingertips. Experts from Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, Pamplin Historical Park, and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg, Virginia, are involved in the project.

From multimedia-guided interpretation of documents to videos of historians sharing diverse perspectives, visitors to Pamplin Historical Park will interact with history lessons and site stories to inspire empathy, curiosity and deeper understanding. Through augmented reality (AR), they will engage with the stories of people — both soldiers and non-combatants, such as the enslaved people of the area — their roles, their environment, the fight, their fortitude, and their beloved families.

“I am passionate about visualizing the past, being able to see what is no longer visible, and gaining perspective on how people have seen and experienced places that we see differently today,” said Todd Ogle, executive director of Applied Research in Immersive Experiences and Simulation. “I believe that using AR for this purpose is one of its greatest potential uses.”

Previously, the team received a $30,000 grant to begin mapping out the project and analyzing what could be done. The new $98,500 2023-25 ​​grant will continue development and create true prototypes of augmented reality applications. Next, the team plans to apply for another grant to move the project into full production.

The team was led by Paul Quigley, a professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of History and director of the Virginia Center for the Study of the Civil War. Virginia Tech collaborators include Todd Ogle, executive director of Applied Research in Immersive Simulation and Experience at the University Library; Doug Bowman, Frank J. Maher Professor of Computer Science; Zach Duer, assistant professor at the School of Visual Arts; Corinne Guimont, digital scholarship coordinator at the University Library; David Hicks, professor at the School of Education; Kurt Luther, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Department of History; and Thomas Tucker, professor in the School of Visual Arts.

Other collaborators include Kathryn Shively, a history professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and staff of the Pamplin Historical Park and National Museum of Civil War Soldiers.

Teams will use digital recreations of historic landscapes, interactive 3D artefacts, short videos of experts sharing compelling stories and key concepts, and digitally annotated historical documents and photos.

“These techniques will deliver history lessons in bite-sized segments, based on interesting human stories, artifacts, or environmental features, using technology that will appeal to a wide variety of users,” said Quigley.

The project marries new technology with the latest historical science on themes such as the environmental history of the Civil War, the African American experience of slavery and freedom, and how the Civil War crisis changed gender relations and the definition of the household.

“We hope that augmented reality will unlock stories from these lived experiences while connecting them to the landscape in which they occurred,” said Ogle.

This project allows Virginia Tech to demonstrate its commitment to its land grant mission by supporting lifelong learning, helping the state’s economy through heritage tourism, and providing communities with new ways to understand their history and its relevance today. “This is truly a cross-disciplinary collaboration, bringing together disciplinary tools from various fields to create something that is more than the sum of the parts,” said Quigley.

One of the interesting challenges the team faced was finding it hard to keep up with changing technology, where different users have different comfort levels. “If we do go into a production phase grant, we will probably complete the project sometime in 2028,” said Quigley. “Along the way, we have to try to design experiences that will work with devices deployed in 2028 and beyond. Is it a smartphone, tablet, AR glasses or something else? And we also have to ensure that everyone from school field trips to retirement age history buffs will be able to make the most of the experience.”

“Finding the right mix of accessibility, historical accuracy and production value while working with a changing technology landscape is an ongoing challenge,” said Ogle. “The odds are big enough to make the effort worthwhile.”

Quigley says there is great benefit to understanding Civil War-era history in all its dimensions, as is learning about how African Americans gained freedom and the impact war had on individual lives, American politics and culture, and the natural environment. “It’s great to be able to use engaging techniques to teach this subject to audiences of different ages, different levels of interest, and different cultural backgrounds. There’s something magical about developing a cool AR experience — a real ‘wow’ factor.”