The Battle of Bunker Hill: A Living Narrative through First Hand Accounts
An interactive site dedicated to the Battle of Bunker Hill which offers the visitor the option to take the point of view of either the American Rebels or the British Regulars. Colors and themes will be determined by which side you choose upon first entering the website through a “splash” page.
Once a visitor has entered the site, they will have several options for what type of information they wish to receive. Though the list will be expanded, it will start with: Interactive Map of the Battle showing troop locations depending on the time of day, First Hand accounts from contemporaries who wrote about the battle, Letters from Battle, Visiting Charlestown today (photographs of the monument and other historically significant items).
Important tools for the production of this site will be very few. A computer and a Digital Camera should suffice for the entirety of the production (keeping theoretical operation costs low). Staff required for this project would be limited to a 2-4 man team (Once again only theoretical, for the sake of this class project, it can clearly be cut down to 1 )
Time required for the completion of this project would be in the range of 12-18 months due to the unpredictable nature of New England Weather and the requirements for the photographs that would be used. Actual development time (of the website) could be as low as 2 months, with the data collection taking anywhere from 6-16 months longer, weather and historical societies permitting.
Take a look at the Deerfield site that Justin refers to in his blog.
http://www.1704.deerfield.history.museum/ It will give you a feel for how someone else as done this idea. I can’t wait to see what you do.
I would like to thank Rusty for pointing out the 1704 Deerfield raid website. They have a detailed explanation of how they constructed the space (methodology, design, construction, implementation) and I believe that you can request more detailed instructions as they want to make this technology public knowledge.
If I may be so bold, I might consider an expansion of involved subjects. Certainly, the American rebels and the British army fought at Bunker (Breed’s?) Hill. However, many parties were likely affected by this event. For example, what role did Loyalists play in this affair, particularly in the aftermath? In short, I would recommend thinking about other narratives that you could incorporate into the website that may enrich or complicate the British/American dichotomy.
I am excited to see this final project. I enjoy the history of the Deefield Raid site. It provides a great template for what you are doing as Rusty pointed out. Having the ability to see what the event looked like from both sides adds a great deal in terms of perspective.