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Date of Graduation
5-9-2024
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Department of History
Second Advisor
Andrew Witmer
Third Advisor
Philip Herrington
Abstract
This thesis project aims to examine and update the interpretive content and themes present on the website for the Lincoln Homestead, a private home located in Linville, Virginia. There are two main components to this thesis, including a written paper and a website functioning as a digital exhibit. The paper analyzes the interpretive content available on the Lincoln Homestead website and identifies its strengths and weaknesses. It discusses the importance of the Lincoln family and home within the wider history of the Shenandoah Valley. Furthermore, the Interpretive Plan recommends themes such as enslavement, colonization, and gender which can be implemented on the website in order to give a fuller picture of all inhabitants of the Lincoln Homestead.
The second component of the project is the Lincoln Homestead website: https://lincolnhomesteadva.com/. This puts the recommended updates in the Interpretive Plan into practice. Included on the website is information about the Lincoln family and their enslaved people. There are also two 3D models reflecting the evolution of the property from the early 1800s to the 1840s, as well as a virtual tour of the Lincoln Family Cemetery. This thesis project aims to provide the public an opportunity to tour and learn about the property virtually.
