MARBL on Historypin

Life at Emory has dramatically changed since the University moved to Atlanta in 1915.  Instead of streetcars, we have buses.  Instead of a small, compact campus, we have a multitude of buildings and annexes.  Instead of poodle skirts and bomber jackets, we have leggings and blue jeans.  Do you ever wonder what campus was like before you arrived? Or even before you were born?  Now you can see.

MARBL has recently made a multitude of historic campus and student photographs available through Historypin.com.  Historypin is a platform where individuals and organizations can come together, “across different generations, cultures and places, to share small glimpses of the past and to build up the huge story of human history.”

While organizations or individuals can share these historic images tethered to a specific time and place, users can comment on historic pictures, recall memories, tell stories, and even take modern-day replicas.  You can explore a geographic area using the Historypin ‘Map’ feature, or you can limit the images to a certain time period or subject.  The Historypin smartphone app allows you to explore historic images on the move, and to match up those images with modern scenes as you follow individual tours or explore an area.

One of Historypin’s most interesting features is the ability to overlay a historic photograph on a modern scene, using Google’s street view feature.  In the example below, a young couple is strolling across the Mizell Bridge with the Emory Quad in the background.  This feature allows you to literally take a step back into history; look how different this area looks today, compared to 1949!

Not only are Emory alumni, faculty, staff, students, and interested visitors encouraged to view and interact with the images MARBL has made available, but they are also encouraged to pin their own historic photographs and interact with friends and classmates.  You can use Historypin wherever you travel; even if it is away from campus, you can use the Historypin.com website or smartphone app to explore regional history, wherever you end up.

Please visit the MARBL profile on Historypin, and contribute your memories, suggestions, and comments.  You can choose your favorite images, share them with friends on Facebook, and learn more about Emory’s development.  Take part in telling the story of Emory history!