The Regulars are Coming!
That was the phrase heard the morning of April 19, 1775. This was heard along the highways leading to Lexington and Concord from Boston, Massachusetts. We can’t go back and see things as they were. We can try and capture the locations of these historical events through photography and modern technology in the form of virtual tours.
Virtual Americana, hopes you enjoy, reflect, and learn about America’s past. Reference our images of the American present to virtually experience what it may have been like. We think there is something to be learned in which people, sites, and events are commemorated and how.
We begin with the events that happened in Massachusetts, grouped into four parts: “Unrest and Anger“, “Colonial Rebellion“, “The Siege of Boston“, and “American Revolution and Soldiers of Color, from Massachusetts“. Eventually, we will expand our site to include the other 12 colonies and various territories that contribute to the entire history of the American Revolution. Some stories you read will be familiar, but with new details, and other stories will portray people and events not often included in school history texts.
The best overall viewing experience will be on desktop computer, using an up-to-date browser.
When viewed on Smartphones, however, our 360 degree images are compatible with smartphone-based Virtual Reality headsets such as Oculus or Google Cardboard. You will need to install Google Virtual Reality Services on your mobile device to utilize. To use this feature, click on the Google Cardboard logo in the virtual tour.
Likewise, some of our location-based articles include historic photographs of the historic sites over time. Occasionally we find stereographic images dating from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. These look like a single image that features nearly identical photos side by side, often in monochrome. If you look at these images through a VR headset, they will give you a 3D image of the past.
My name is Carlton SooHoo. I am the principal member of the Virtual American Revolution Project. I’ve been visiting various locations of the American Revolution, at first in Massachusetts and eventually across the entire eastern USA, in order to try and capture an idea of the importance of these historical events.
Carlton SooHoo, PHD
For More Info
For Battle Green visitor information, visit the Lexington Chamber of Commerce:
http://www.lexingtonchamber.org/
Many nearby battle sites associated with Lexington & Concord are part of Minute Man National Historical Park:
http://www.nps.gov/mima