It’s hard to say whether America would be in existence if not for the historic events in Boston and Philadelphia, but the streets of New York City have their own stories to tell. Thanks to CUNY’s Gotham Center for NYC History, we have a brand new 90-minute walking tour of downtown Manhattan that “reframes New York at the heart of the American Revolution.”
Echoes of Revolution, which launches Monday, June 29th, is a free mobile, geo-located immersive walking tour that uses augmented reality to place visitors inside Revolutionary-era New York. Included are the major players of the time, Indigenous peoples, character profiles, and key events. Guests will start at The Battery and end at Federal Hall. It runs 90 minutes, with 75 minutes of audio narration. Distance covered: about three miles.
“This experience,” says Peter-Christian Aigner, Director of the Gotham Center for New York History, “brings the energy and history of New York to life in a bold new way, combining the creative storytelling of Assassin’s Creed* with the power of immersive technology. It’s a remarkable way to engage new audiences with the story of America’s founding.”
Some of the sites included are Hanover Square, Golden Hill, South Street Seaport and Trinity Church. Stand at Bowling Green, the site of the toppling of the statue of King George III and visit Fraunces Tavern, the meeting place of the Sons of Liberty and where Washington bid farewell to his Continental Army. Each stop provides audio narration, character profiles, videos and links to the Center’s Library.
Imagine standing in front of the US Custom House and seeing a giant block of marble. Instead of just passing it by, you’ll now know it’s a historical marker for the giant fort that once guarded New York’s harbor. And did you know that inside South Ferry station, you can “run your hands along the battery” or cannon-mounted walls that once protected New York, the “most heavily protected colony in the largest part of the British empire.”
Echoes of Revolution is a new version of Gotham’s original NYC Revolutionary Trail App and will also partner with the Museum of the City of New York for the upcoming exhibit, The Occupied City, to ring in New York’s 250th celebration.
In addition, as part of NYC Revolutionary Trail, The Gotham Center offers an online classroom featuring short, standard-aligned lesson modules for middle school, high school, and college students nationwide.
*Assassin’s Creed is a historical action-adventure video game series.
Photo Credit: Credit Ubisoft & Sugar Creative
