By Eliza Vegas

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Steve Hanna

Abstract

Assisting in the Stafford Museum and Cultural Center’s request for an online heritage trail of Black history in Stafford County, Virginia, this project provided the groundwork for the online map-based interface of the trail. Creating the framework through ArcGIS StoryMaps included organizing the trail’s stops into three narrative themes, each with its own StoryMap. The trail is composed of locations throughout Stafford County that have a story about the Black residents of this area from the Colonial Era to the Civil Rights Movement. In addition to the foundation for this trail, research was conducted to determine the effective ways to construct a heritage trail and incorporate the trail’s design and information within a GIS interface. Utilizing the strategies to create an effective heritage trail, such as making maps understandable to a wide demographic, aided in creating the Black History Heritage Trail prototype. The core of the work was ensuring the StoryMap trail’s design and route were sensible and accessible to people of all different backgrounds and technology literacy. This trail is not currently publicized but will eventually be available to the public.