George Lyons ’04, mechanical engineering; Monika Serrano ’04, mechanical engineering; Maura Oliphant ’03, English and anthropology & sociology; Kenya Flash ’03, government and law; and Lee Goldfarb ’05, history, presented a midyear report to Walt Jazwa and other board members of the Easton Heritage Alliance on plans to create an interactive, unguided tour through “a rich atmosphere of smells, sounds, and sights in every room” at Bachmann Publick House in downtown Easton.
The students’ plan would enlarge the potential audience for Bachmann Publick House via an unguided tour through enhanced exhibits that would most likely blend MP3, barcode, and pocket PC computer technology to create an interactive experience. Visitors would use a hand-held device with a menu of stories, voices, and information to increase understanding of the history permeating every aspect of the building.
Built in 1753 when Easton was just two years old, Bachmann Publick House is the city’s oldest standing structure and most important historic site. Located at the corner of Second and Northampton Streets, the stone building was the first tavern licensed in Northampton County and was used as Easton’s first courthouse. The Easton Heritage Alliance, the city’s historic preservation organization, owns and maintains the building.
Formerly called the 1753 Jacob Bachmann Tavern, the building was a center of business and government during its early years, and Benjamin Franklin is reported to have used it numerous times as a meeting place related to the Indian peace treaties with the colonists. George Washington, General John Sullivan, and other famous travelers spent time there as well. George Taylor, the 30th signer of the Declaration of Independence, owned the building from 1761 to 1779. During his ownership, meetings were held at the tavern to make plans for the American Revolution.
Advisers were Dan Bauer, professor of anthropology and sociology, and Beth Seetch, lecturer in English and coordinator of the College Writing Program.