HistoryPin: Places Then and Now

HistoryPin has been developed by We Are What We Do (a non-profit company) and Google to mashup maps with historic photos from communities around the world.

The map works by adding user-contributed photos to Google Maps and Street Views. You can zoom into communities and pin points for a true “the and now” view of streets, buildings, and places. City of Vancouver Archives volunteers spent hours uploading and cultivating their official HistoryPin page and the results are impressive.

Other organizations that have added their content such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Dallas Public Library, the Museum of the City of New York, the London Metropolitan Archives, and hundreds of others including schools.

Any user can upload images (which will be moderated if they are inappropriate or offensive) and each user retains credit for the photo which will link back to their profile. You can also use the map to create your own historic tours of a neighbourhood, splashed with street views and old photos for reference. Do you have your parents’ old photos from their 1972 trip to Seattle? You can digitize their trip and make a tour, mashed up with modern map points.

It’s free to use the site, upload photos, and create tours. I know that I could spend hours browsing the British Columbia points and tours, and I’m thankful that the Vancouver Archives hopped on board with this project. Download the web app for your iPhone or Android to check out points on the go.