HistoryPin: Photos – Past and Present

Have you ever looked at an historic storefront flanked by modern office buildings and wondered what the street scape might have looked like back when that first building was constructed?

Historypin seeks to build connections between multiple generations through an appreciation of the history of their shared communities. The site enables users to overlay (or “pin”) historic images, videos and audio recordings onto the sights of today, both online at Historypin.com and on the Historypin mobile app. This new media mashup, which runs on Google maps, encourages visitors to add their own memories to the pinned records, highlighting the personal connection to changing landscapes.

Historypin aims to start a process that schools, students, families and partners continue for many years to come, building and broadening the record of local history on Historypin.com, strengthening communities and encouraging generations to come together around a communal history of people and place.

The site has some great How-To guides that you and your students can use to get started. Seems like an awesome way to encourage the study of local and state history. And if you happen to teach near an historical site, this is a no-brainer.