Scott Mendenhall – Digital Project

Silver Spring Historical Society & Historypin

My Project

I worked with the Silver Spring Historical Society to help bring some of their holdings online. I was excited to work with a local historical society in the community where I live, Silver Spring, Maryland. I used the site Historypin as the tool for my project. Historypin allows organizations to create “channels” to feature its content. I did this for the SSHS, as seen above (click to view channel). The content I pinned was a series of postcards taken in 1917 and 1928 by photographer William Ross depicting Silver Spring as it then existed.

Features of Historypin

Historypin offers the chance for users to interact with history. Historypin operates through Google maps to “pin” content. The user looks at a Google map, and sees what has been pinned. Photographs can also be pinned to a Google streetview (shown above, a 1928 photograph of the Silver Spring Masonic Temple). Other features include creating collections to organize your content, and tours the public can follow. Historypin also offers a mobile app.

Tour Georgia Ave., 1917

I created a tour of Georgia Avenue, the main thoroughfare of Silver Spring. Using the postcard photographs, my tour route progresses north up Georgia Avenue as it existed in 1917. I feel the tour offers a fascinating juxtaposition of the past and present since much of what is depicted in the photographs no longer exists. I hope to continue my work with the SSHS beyond this class.