After two years of planning, research, and implementation, the Erie Canal Equipment Overlooks are complete with new interpretive exhibits. The interpretive panels are installed in Lockport, New York, along the Pendleton portion of the Erie Canalway Trail. This project serves to educate the community about the historic canal equipment on display and bring the history of the Erie Canal’s 1900s engineering to life.
Jason Gardiner is a member of Boy Scout Troop 57 from East Hampton, Connecticut. He recently earned his Eagle Scout status after the completion of a trail signage project along the East Hampton portion of the Air Line Trail. Jason worked for many months on the creation of four historical signs and his hard work will benefit the community for years to come.
Beautiful historic places deserve beautiful signs that complement a region’s rich culture and environmental aesthetic. With this concept in mind, the most historic area of El Paso, Texas, recently updated three interpretive kiosks along the famous Mission Trail. This trail is a nine-mile segment of the 1598 El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, a 1,500-mile route linking Mexico City to northern New Mexico, which is the oldest European trade route in North America. The El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was designated as a National Historic Trail in 2000. Sharing living cultural legacies, the interpretive kiosks provide a greater understanding of this historic portion of the trail in El Paso County.
Dating back to 1749, Fort Harrison, also known as The Daniel Harrison House, stands tall in the Shenandoah Valley. Passed down for centuries, this solidly-built limestone house is now owned by a non-profit organization called Fort Harrison, Inc. The organization restored and continuously maintains the old frontier house and recently installed historical signs to serve as constant teaching tools across the property.
Located just south of Charleston, West Virginia, Kanawha State Forest is a 9,000+ acre forest with over 25 miles of trails and many amenities for local and national visitors, including a beautiful old-growth tract of 1,350 acres. For over 30 years, the forest has been protected and preserved by the passionate volunteers of the Kanawha State Forest Foundation (KSFF). With about 150 members, the nonprofit organization completes numerous projects each year, and in 2020 they designed and installed new interpretive trail signage.
The beautiful beach community of Slaughter Beach, Delaware, was experiencing the negative effects of sign pollution. Rule, regulation, directional, and instructional signs displayed along fences and on poles left a disorderly and incongruent appearance in the community. The outdoor sign pollution took away from the beach landscape and the visual clusters of signage were left unread and ignored.
Home to the third-largest Shaker community in the United States between 1805 and 1910, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is Kentucky’s largest National Historic Landmark. Shaker Village attracts thousands of visitors every year to experience the 3,000-acre property, home to 34 original Shaker structures.
Interpretive trail signs provide opportunities for trail users from near and far and of all ages and abilities to develop a connection and appreciation for the surrounding landscape. Durable signs installed throughout the trail, from trailhead to trailhead, make for a unified and memorable experience. South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks made this a top priority when working on the signage for South Dakota’s Mickelson Trail.
The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail is a scenic, 13-mile trail that follows an abandoned railroad track from Newville, Pennsylvania, to Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. In 2012, thirteen Pannier Fiberglass Embedded panels and Traditional T exhibit bases were installed along the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail. The signage serves to educate the thousands of trail users that walk, cycle, and horseback ride along the trail each year. Signage topics share the history of the Cumberland Valley Railroad from early railroad travel, to agricultural and Civil War heritage.
People visit parks and recreation areas for a wide variety of reasons: education, adventure, relaxation, exercise — the list goes on. The one reason that each visitor has in common is that they are searching for something they value (Bacher et al. 8). When looking at the intricate world, it is human nature to ask questions and want to make meaning of experiences. What event took place here? What year was this built? Why is this location so special? What is the origin of this flower, and what mountain range is that? Site-specific interpretation is vital to learning, understanding and finding value in an area’s past and present, while also generating future action.