Launched in 2010, Historypin is a historic photo mapping website and mobile app that aims to “create a digital history of the world” through user-generated content. Special Collections at Langsdale recently added a small sampling of our digitized photographs to Historypin — you can check out our contributions here. Don’t forget to explore the map or view the photos in Google’s street view!
So far, our images on Historypin include markets, schools, firehouses, landmarks, public housing, and residential areas from 20th century Baltimore. We selected some photos where the comparison to the present is nearly identical, and some where the urban landscape has been radically changed. For archivists at UB, one of the fun things about this project is repurposing existing digital content (in this case, photographs that were already scanned) for use in new ways. We’ll continue to add digital content about Baltimore’s history to applications, projects, and websites in the new year, and we hope you’ll add your voice to collaborative sites like Historypin, too!