An Old New Town
By Sara Cline
February 26, 2014
February 26, 2014
Many of us learned about famous figures like Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcom X, and Harriet Tubman during Black History Month.
However, many people may not know about New Town. New Town is a piece of history located right next to the Virginia Tech campus.
New Town was an African American community in Blackburg, dating back to 1906.
After construction in the 70s, New Town deteriorated. The only piece of the town left is St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall. Now a museum, the Hall was one of the only social centers exclusively for African-Americans until the end of segregation. It was a place for church, school, and even events like potluck dinners.
This year, the Town of Blacksburg has brought back New Town…virtually.
A few of Blacksburg’s historical and cultural organizations, in collaboration with Virginia Tech visual art professors, recreated a 1950s virtual environment of New Town.
Visitors were able to walk the streets, experience sounds, and even meet residents of New Town via computers.
The basis of the game on the computers was a young African-American girl asking her grandfather about New Town. The grandfather gave her a tour of the building and told her, and the game player, the history of New Town.
There was also an interactive tour of the building via an iPad. Participants opened an app and pointed the iPad’s camera to places around the room, and it showed the area’s original decor.
The most stand out piece of the exhibit were the Oculus 3D visual goggles. The goggles made it seem as though you were walking through the historic New Town neighborhood in the 50s era.
The New Town exhibit appeared to draw in a large crowd to a somewhat unknown museum. The inclusion of all of the virtual equipment shows the direction of technology combining with history.
However, many people may not know about New Town. New Town is a piece of history located right next to the Virginia Tech campus.
New Town was an African American community in Blackburg, dating back to 1906.
After construction in the 70s, New Town deteriorated. The only piece of the town left is St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall. Now a museum, the Hall was one of the only social centers exclusively for African-Americans until the end of segregation. It was a place for church, school, and even events like potluck dinners.
This year, the Town of Blacksburg has brought back New Town…virtually.
A few of Blacksburg’s historical and cultural organizations, in collaboration with Virginia Tech visual art professors, recreated a 1950s virtual environment of New Town.
Visitors were able to walk the streets, experience sounds, and even meet residents of New Town via computers.
The basis of the game on the computers was a young African-American girl asking her grandfather about New Town. The grandfather gave her a tour of the building and told her, and the game player, the history of New Town.
There was also an interactive tour of the building via an iPad. Participants opened an app and pointed the iPad’s camera to places around the room, and it showed the area’s original decor.
The most stand out piece of the exhibit were the Oculus 3D visual goggles. The goggles made it seem as though you were walking through the historic New Town neighborhood in the 50s era.
The New Town exhibit appeared to draw in a large crowd to a somewhat unknown museum. The inclusion of all of the virtual equipment shows the direction of technology combining with history.