PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — What happens when you combine a 36-year-old antique vehicle with modern technology? In the case of Presque Isle Historical Society, you get a trolley ride that take tours to a digital level.
The concept of adding monitors and a laptop to the trolley to allow the viewing of historic photographs and images during tours came about in 2019. The society worked with Steve Vance, a former Historical Society Board Member and retired IT professional, to design the system. However, COVID-19 temporarily sidelined the project.
“Essentially, special PowerPoint presentations have been created to include slides consisting of historic photos and genealogical documents that correlate to the specific tour,” Kim Smith, board member, tour guide and one of the forces behind the project concept, said.
Right now, five of the Society’s tours benefit from the technology: the Presque Isle Air Base Tour, the City-Wide Narrated Tour, the Jim Cullen Tour, the Civil War Trails Tour and the Amazing Mystery History Tour,” Smith said.
In March, board members purchased and installed the necessary equipment. The system consists of two large color monitors, 24-inch and 32-inch, that tilt to provide better views to those on the tours; an HDMI splitter; a power inverter; and a laptop. All of this works in conjunction with a PA system used by the tour guide.
Craig Green, society board president and another integral part of bringing the project to fruition, stated, “The monitors add a wonderful visual impact. They bring history to life allowing tour goers to see what was at a specific location before.”
The society kicked off its 2021 tour season May 8 using the new technology. For information on tours and programs, or to contribute, call (207) 762-1151, email pihistoricalsociety@hotmail.com, or visit them on the web at www.pihistory.org.
