Zach Duer

We are designing an Augmented Reality application to enhance visitors’ understanding of Civil War era history at the Pamplin Historical Park in Petersburg, Virginia.

The application will provide technologically innovative and engaging ways for park visitors of all ages to better understand humanities scholarship on several topics that are not always prominent in public history presentations of Civil War era history: environmental and military history; the war’s impact on households and civilians, including enslaved African Americans; and the nature of historical sources and the construction and reconstruction of historical narratives over time.

We received an initial Discovery Grant to facilitate collaborative planning, and a follow on Prototyping grant to create a first version. As we prepared to apply for the final Production grant, the entire line of NEH grants was terminated by the Trump administration in 2025.