HOULTON, Maine — Some of Houlton’s more historic buildings will soon be adorned with bronze plaques, paying homage to the building’s heritage, while also moving into the 21st century.
About 21 plaques are expected to be installed on Houlton’s more notable buildings starting Tuesday, Aug. 10,
The large bronze plaques feature the name of the building, its architect, and a “QR Code” that can be scanned by a smartphone, sending the user to a website that will play a short video history of the building.
Jane Torres, executive director for the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce, explained the idea for bringing Houlton’s history into the digital era was a collaboration between herself and Henry Gartley of the Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum.
“We have always had an option for visitors to take a walking tour of Houlton,” Torres explained. “We would give them two sheets of paper with a map and off they would go looking for the buildings and read about it.”
Torres said as technology has improved, visitors were less interested in reading a paper map with descriptions, and instead would ask if there was an electronic version of the map. Thus was born the idea of combining Houlton’s past with the technology of today.
Thanks to funding from the Putnam Charitable Trust, 21 plaques at a cost of $375 each, were purchased. Many of the buildings featured are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Additional plaques may be ordered in the future if the project proves to be popular.
Gartley, through his volunteering at the museum, had already started compiling videos on Houlton’s historic buildings and was eager to collaborate on the project. Jason Howe and Richard Rhoda were also instrumental in compiling historical data on the buildings.
“I’m hoping it will be engaging for people to both walk around our beautiful town while learning some history,” Gartley said. “We are very thankful to the Putnam Trust for funding it.”
The large bronze plaques feature the name of the building, its architect, and a “QR Code” that can be scanned by a smartphone, sending the user to a website that will play a short video history of the building.
