Virtual Watervliet
In 2012, Virtual Grounds partnered with the Shaker Heritage Society to develop a digital reconstruction of the buildings and lands of the first Shaker settlement in America.
The Virtual Watervliet project allows the Shaker Heritage Society (SHS) to achieve its mission to cultivate an interest in Shaker history while increasing awareness of the historic site of America's first Shaker settlement and support for its preservation. The portal was redesigned and relaunched in 2023, with an updated 3D tour of the Church Family grounds based on the 1838 Buckingham Map.
Services: Digital 3D reconstruction, web portal design and development, historical map-based interpretation, interactive timeline and then-now overlays, and responsive 3D virtual tours.
The Goal
Bring back to life the Shaker settlement in its heyday and virtually rebuild the grounds of the Church Family, one of three areas occupied by the Shakers in Niskayuna, Greater Albany, NY.
Map-based Digital Reconstruction
The reconstruction was centered on the historical Buckingham Map, drawn by one of the Shaker Elders in 1838. It depicts the Church Family in its prime and details the structures used by the Shakers in daily life.
A Tool to Understand the Site
The 3D models were assembled as a web portal, an atlas of the Church Family providing information on the occupation of buildings and lands. It was extensively used by the Society when preparing lesson plans and educational content.
Award-Winning Approach
The project is centered on a comprehensive digital reconstruction of the publicly accessible portion of the Watervliet Shaker National Historic District, known as the Church Family.
Holistic Interpretive Tool
The web portal includes multiple online opportunities to interact and learn from historical images, then-now overlays, an interactive timeline, a map tour, and 3D virtual tours. With a couple of mouse clicks, the evolution of the historic site becomes visually accessible to those who participate in the Society's education programs, local residents, and virtual visitors around the world. Guests can explore this resource at will, gaining a deeper understanding of the historic site and greater perspective on its part in American history.
Digital Components
The project is a valid example of reusing digital assets. The 3D models are featured in a 3D tour and on individual pages for the site's structures, compose a building typology tool, and were the source for numerous 2D renders and graphics. The content was also optimized with responsive design for small screens supporting visitors of the Church Family grounds.
Virtual Watervliet 2012
Building uses and purposes, biographies, timeline, site evolution. The design was the recipient of several awards for its innovative approach to online site interpretation.
Virtual Watervliet 2.0
The relaunch of the web portal in 2023 leverages cutting-edge web technologies and ensures its continued effectiveness as a robust tool for site interpretation.
Receiving National Recognition While Supporting the Society's Mission
The groundbreaking approach of Virtual Watervliet received four national awards in 2013, recognizing the innovative application of web and mobile technologies for site interpretation, including the prestigious HIP (History in Progress) award granted by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).
In 2016, Virtual Watervliet was selected for the discussion round of Digital Public History at the Doing Digital History 2016 Summer Institute, sponsored by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM).