Connecting the Past to the 21st Century

Starting July 14th, new technologies are coming to Drayton Hall’s popular interactive program Connections: From Africa to America. Museum interpreters will use iPads to present the program and interact with guests as part of Drayton Hall’s continuing focus on combining technology and interpretation.

Museum interpreter Deana Boulware uses an iPad to present Connections to guests.

The program connects the contributions and experiences of Africans and African Americans to South Carolina, Charleston, and Drayton Hall. The iPads will allow museum interpreters to present new images of primary sources, artifacts, and people to tell the story of the enslaved people and their descendents who were connected to Drayton Hall. Images include pieces from Drayton Hall’s collection, such as colonoware fragments and extracts from Charles Drayton’s diaries.

“To present historical documents and images in the most up-to-date way possible is a great example of the commitment Drayton Hall has to reinventing itself, and to speaking​ to more generations of visitors as technological capabilities increase and diversify,” said Carin Boone, a museum interpreter at Drayton Hall. “We have a great opportunity to reach out to more people and remind them that the stewardship of stories like those of the Bowens family and countless others is a responsibility that rests with all of us, not just preservation professionals.”

Connections: From Africa to America is a 30-minute program presented twice daily: Monday-Saturday at 11 am and 2 pm, and Sunday at 12 pm and 2 pm. The program is included with regular admission.