By Shannon Lausch
The Mapping Renewal project took to the streets of Hillcrest this November for HarvestFest. HarvestFest is an annual event in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Little Rock that celebrates its community with local vendors, entertainers, and food.
The Hillcrest Residents Association shared a booth with the Center to talk with residents about their area’s history. Hillcrest plays a distinct role in Little Rock’s early expansion. The historic neighborhood was part of the city’s first streetcar suburb: Pulaski Heights. While its development began in the 1890s, the area’s growth boomed in the first half of the 20th century. This map depicts its early days in 1913.
Hillcrest residents are passionate about their neighborhood. As part of the Center’s NEH-grant, we digitized and created printouts of our visual archival materials to decorate our booth. We encouraged the public to attach keywords or “hashtags” to photographs and maps (see our first experiment here: Trivia with a twist).
People enjoyed looking at photographs of local buildings that still stand today. Even more, they loved pinpointing their house’s address on historic maps. All this information helps us uncover what the public thinks of when immediately presented with historical images.
When we develop our web platform to make these digitized images accessible to everyone, we will know how to make it easier for people to find what most interests them.
Keep watching this blog for more information on Little Rock history, project updates, and public events!