Watervliet Church Family Tours

Virtual Grounds worked alongside Shaker Heritage Society to develop web-based online self-guided tours aimed at assisting visitors in virtually exploring the publicly accessible areas of the Watervliet Shaker National Historic District, known as the Church Family.

The Virtual Watervliet Portal features an audio-enhanced Map Tour of the site, highlighting existing structures and locating selected demolished buildings that played a significant role in the settlement's history. The portal also incorporates a Site Evolution Tour, visually illustrating the occupation of the Church Family site from its establishment in 1789 to the present day.

Undoubtedly, the most thrilling experience of the Portal is the immersive 3D Virtual Tour "Echoes of 1838" reutilizing the initial set of virtual models created for the digital reconstruction of the settlement into an online guided exploration of the 1838 Buckingham Map.

VGI also created a desktop tour of the Church Family showcasing in 3D the surviving buildings of the first Shaker site in America using Google's Earth engine. This dynamic virtual tour assured continuous public access to the SHS grounds during the pandemic through computers and laptop screens.

Client: Shaker Heritage Society