Historic revival through augmented reality technology at Oakley Cabin in Maryland, which breathes life into Black history.
In the heart of historic Brookville, just north of Olney, Montgomery County, Maryland, lies the Oakley Cabin - a humble yet significant structure that holds a rich history. This 16x22-foot cabin, one of three homes that housed enslaved Africans in the 1800s on the Oakley Plantation, has been brought to life through an innovative Augmented Reality (AR) experience.
Montgomery Parks, in partnership with the Oakley Cabin African American Museum and Park, has created an immersive digital experience that allows visitors to engage deeply with the history of the enslaved Africans and freed Black families who lived there. By scanning QR codes, visitors can access immersive audio narratives and 3-D visual reconstructions, making the history of this 19th-century African American community tangible and accessible.
The AR experience begins at the information center, where a simple scan with a smartphone sets the journey in motion. As you explore the property, an animated fly-over provides a bird's eye view of the cabin, followed by a virtual tour of its interior without stepping foot inside. An audio explainer accompanies the visuals, shedding light on the cabin's history and the lives of those who lived there.
The small room within the cabin, with its slender stairwell, once housed 10-14 family members. A wash pan was hung on the wall for residents to use for freshening up, and a full-sized bed with a small trunk at its foot provided a meagre resting place. After Emancipation in 1864, the cabin housed freed Black families who farmed the land for 150 years through the Reconstruction era. The cabin's last known resident lived there as late as the 1970s.
The AR experience extends beyond the cabin, recreating the extended living quarters outside. QR codes located around the property allow you to visualise a henhouse or chicken coop, a pig or hog pen, and an outdoor bathroom. A clothesline, wash bin, and a bench are also part of this recreated living space.
Montgomery Parks has also worked with archaeologists to find the foundation of the third cabin, which is marked by a deteriorating cabin foundation. The AR experience can bring visitors an experience of this third cabin that no longer exists, using QR codes installed around the remaining foundation.
The AR experience at the Oakley Cabin is not just an educational tool, but also a preservation effort. It serves to connect the public with a vital yet often overlooked chapter of Montgomery County’s history. This innovative project has been recognised with the Excellence in Preservation Partnerships award from the Maryland Historical Trust, highlighting its significance in historical preservation and public education.
This February, Montgomery Parks is opening the Oakley Cabin to visitors for the first time during Black History Month, offering a unique opportunity to peek inside and immerse oneself in this significant piece of history. Whether you're a history buff or simply curious, the Oakley Cabin AR experience is a must-visit destination.
The AR experience at the Oakley Cabin is designed to transport visitors into the home-and-garden life of the enslaved Africans and freed Black families who once lived there, reimagining structures such as henhouses, pig pens, and outdoor bathrooms through technology. By the end of the visit, one can appreciate the lifestyle of the 19th-century African American community that thrived around the Oakley Plantation.
