Mount Vernon Historical Site Turned into Augmented Reality Experience

A landmark in American history, Mount Vernon has added a rich augmented reality experience to its tours. This experience recreates the site as it looked during George Washington’s life. The project is a result of the collaboration between George Washington’s Mount Vernon and ARtGlass, a company specializing in developing AR projects for museums and historic sites.

 

Take a Tour of the First President’s Estate as It Used to Be

The augmented reality experience recreates all the buildings, gardens and the original atmosphere of the place in George and Martha Washington’s time. Visitors are able to  see everything in realistic 360-degree views. They can also learn interesting facts about the property and the life of its iconic owner.

The AR tour places original, real life artifacts in their historic context. This will help visitors understand their role in the life of the first president of the US and his wife. The accompanying audio presentation tells the entire story of the Mount Vernon estate, including its difficult moments.

One of the highlights of the augmented reality experience are holograms of George and Martha Washington. They will be greeting visitors and welcoming them to their home. The president’s hologram meets visitors at the starting point of the tour – the Ford Orientation Center.

 

A President Passionate about New Technologies Reborn in an Augmented Reality Experience

As fans of US history know, George Washington was a strong advocate of new technologies. He would probably have enjoyed seeing his own self as a holographic character, guiding visitors not only through his house, but also along his lifetime.

Highlights of the tour include hearing and seeing various moments from the lives of Mount Vernon’s residents. For example, visitors can see young George Washington enjoying outdoor games or gardening, which was one of his passions.

“The augmented reality tour enables us to do things we cannot do every day: show primary sources next to places and objects, do large-scale reenactments of key events, and take guests back through time to show them what Mount Vernon looked like throughout Washington’s entire lifetime,” said The Vice President of New Media at Mount Vernon museum, Matt Briney.

 

A Literal Walk down the History Lane

The Mount Vernon augmented reality experience does not stop at the glorious days of the estate during Washington’s lifetime. It also shows the continuous deterioration as the property changed hands. The story moves on to the event when it was finally rescued in 1850 by Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.

“ARtGlass is passionate about cultural storytelling with technological innovation and is excited to partner with forward-thinking sites like Mount Vernon to create new and memorable experiences for their guests,” explained Greg Werkheiser, CEO and Founder of ARtGlass.

The augmented reality experience is already available for an extra $12.50 in addition to the general admission fee. The official inauguration of the AR tour will take place on George Washington’s birthday, on February 22, 2019.

Until your next visit to Mount Vernon, enjoy the preview of the AR tour: