Over the course of this semester, I am excited to learn more about Digital History and the technology that makes this work possible. In my MA program, I had opportunities to create digital exhibits using ARCGIS StoryMaps. One of these exhibits, “Unnatural Contest:” Jotham Bemus and the American Revolution, told the story of the arrest of a loyalist in Saratoga Springs, New York and how the conflict divided his family. That area of New York State is famous for being the site of the Battles of Saratoga, so this was an aspect of Saratoga history that was not commonly interpreted prior to the project I worked on as part of an internship with the Brookside Museum. Reading David Seefeldt and William G. Thomas’ article “What is Digital History? A Look at Some Exemplar Projects” put into words some of the aspects of digital history that I really connect with. Seefeldt explained that “To do digital history, then, is to digitize the past certainly, but it is much more than that. It is to create a framework through the technology for people to experience, read, and follow an argument about a major historical problem.”1 This concept of using technology to enhance a historical argument spoke to how I previously approached doing digital history projects. Examining other digital history projects in preparation for this class, particularly the Envisioning the Seneca Village, resonated with me how powerful digital history can be.
Envisioning the Seneca Village brings to life the lives of members of a vibrant African American and Irish community that lived on what is now Central Park in 1857. Prior to finding this resource, I was not aware of the Seneca Village community. The team created a 3-D model interpretation of the village, including an array of houses and churches based on censuses, church records, and archeological evidence. The technological component (the digital model) is vital for the viewer to understand this history because, “no known photos or drawings, nor any above-ground traces of it, survive.”2 These visuals, along with the context of the interpretative text, really give a sense of what was lost when this village was destroyed to create Central Park, because there is so little visual evidence of it in the public space today.
Once I read through the readings that defined digital history, Adam Crymble’s work, Technology and the Historian: Transformations in the Digital Age pushed me to really think about my relationship with technology as a historian. Crymble’s concept of “parallel streams” for understanding a historian’s relationship to technology was really striking.3 It put into perspective how much of my own research would have been difficult or inaccessible without the digitalization tools that are now almost universal in archives and institutions. For instance, the Saratoga project was a virtual internship. My research was done primarily online in the Greater Philadelphia area through historical newspaper databases and digitized collections. My supervisor in Saratoga visited local sites to gather images of primary sources for me so I could complete transcriptions and implement them in my ARCGIS StoryMap.
Learning digital history tools was a skill I wanted to take on in my graduate studies to be a well-rounded professional. I started this process in my MA program and really saw the value in using visualization tools to tell stories based on historic sources. I am looking forward to expanding on and learning new means to do digital history with this course. The exercises and readings for this week gave me a solid foundation in the ways prior historians have interacted and used technology to provide greater access and reveal underrepresented histories. I look forward to engaging in more skills and platforms as the semester continues.
1 David Seefeldt and William G. Thomas, “What is Digital History? A Look at Exemplary Projects,” Perspectives Special Issue Intersections: History and New Media (2009), accessed August 25, 2026,
https://www.historians.org/perspectives-article/what-is-digital-history-may-2009/
2 Gergely Baics, Meredith B. Linn, Leah Meisterlin, Myles Zhang, “About the Project Page,” Envisioning Seneca Village: A Tour through the Visualization. (2024; 2026), accessed August 25, 2025, envisioningsenecavillage.github.io/tour.
3 Adam Crymble, Technology and the Historian: Transformations in the Digital Age, (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2021), 163.
Hello Lena,
I hope all is well. I just read your discussion post, and I must say that I completely agree with your perspective on the Seneca Village project. Viewing that page and seeing how a village that no longer exists was digitally reconstructed was truly fascinating. This project also highlights the power historians hold when drawing from various forms of evidence. The combination of research and technology used to create such a detailed exhibit showcases one of the many strengths of digital history. Similarly, your map/project on the activities of Bemus reflects the same digital conceptualization of space demonstrated in the Seneca Village project.
I do have a question about the horn: do you know why the map was pressed around the horn itself? Was this purely decorative, or was there another purpose behind it?
Hi Khan,
Thank you! In answer to your question, some aspects of the carvings were decorative to show of his loyalty to Great Britain such as the lion and unicorn symbols. He was from an area called Stillwater in the Hudson Valley so the fact that these elements were there could have been a point of local pride, or if the gunpowder horn was lost where it could be returned to. This artifact was one of the only sources I had to confirm his military sources from the French and Indian War. I hope that clarifies some of the details for you
Lena,
I am impressed by the visualization skills you have been building already! Your story map is great. I too found the Seneca Village 3D rendering amazing. I heard about the village, but I was unaware of this project to bring it back to life.
If you are interested in coming your visualization scholarship, I suggest coming to visit us at the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
Hi Lena! I love using StoryMaps. It’s a great way to present historical work in an interactive way. Thank you for including links to DH projects like “Envisioning Seneca Village” for us to look at. Your blog post makes great connections between our class discussion/readings and your experiences using digital history tools/techniques for your own research. Nice post!