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Students unveil interactive Newberry story map, board hears plans for QR codes and oral histories
Summary
Students presented a web-based "story map" of Newberry history to the Historic Architectural Review Board, showing an interactive timeline, National Register–based site narratives, masonry-treatment guidance, and plans to add oral-history clips and site QR codes.
A student team presented an interactive, web-based "story map" of Newberry’s history to the City of Newberry Historic Architectural Review Board on May 5, showing a timeline, historic imagery, property narratives and resources for property owners.
The presentation included a 360-degree walking-tour feature, an interactive map showing the historic-district boundary and properties identified as eligible in a 2023 survey, and a section summarizing proper masonry repair and repointing techniques. The students said the story map pulls historic descriptions from the National Register nomination and the city’s 2023 survey and that it is intended to be a living resource that the city and community can update.
Board members asked about adding QR codes at sites and about incorporating previously recorded oral-history interviews. The presenter said the team will work with UMA to discuss QR-code placement and that audio excerpts from multi‑hour interviews the city provided (including interviews with Freddie Womack) are being edited into a shorter video to add to the map.
The students also showed renderings and screenshots of the map’s interactive layers, and noted links to primary documents (Sanborn maps, the 1980s National Register nomination and the 2023 survey). One board member suggested adding older videos and artifacts from local collections, including material from the Little Red Schoolhouse museum that may be in storage.
Board members praised the project for making dense technical information—masonry treatment reports, National Register narratives—more accessible to property owners and visitors. No formal action was taken; the presentation was informational and the board discussed next steps for community engagement and technical follow‑up.
The project team said the story map is designed to be updated if the historic district boundaries or building conditions change, and that the team prioritized producing materials that property owners and real-estate professionals could use. The presenters requested continued coordination with city staff on QR-code placement, and staff indicated they would follow up.
Board discussion and audience comments noted interest in expanding oral histories and locating archival items (museum artifacts, older footage) to strengthen the map’s content. The board and presenters agreed to continue the conversation offline and to bring QR‑code proposals back to staff for review.
