Historical sites face common challenges today. How can they attract younger visitors in a digital age? How can they share their rich stories without requiring constant staffing? These questions plague many preservation organizations operating with limited resources and volunteers.
Old Pine Conservancy found an innovative solution. By partnering with STQRY to create a mobile app, they've transformed how visitors experience their historic Philadelphia graveyard while specifically targeting educational audiences through curriculum-aligned content.
About Old Pine Conservancy
The Old Pine Conservancy preserves the historic graveyard of Philadelphia’s Old Pine Presbyterian Church, founded in 1768. Over 4,000 people are buried in the graveyard, and over 200 of them are veterans of the American Revolution. There are also the remains of other notable Americans, including a signer of the U.S. Constitution.
Through caretaking, preservation, research, and storytelling, The Old Pine Conservancy seeks to educate visitors about the patriots buried here and engage citizens in a deeper understanding of our shared history and its impact on us today.
The Need for a Mobile Tour Guide App
The graveyard's story begins with neglect. Until the 1950s, the historic grounds lay overrun with vegetation and debris. Everything changed with a remarkable discovery. Workers uncovered the remains of 27 Revolutionary War soldiers, prompting the formation of the Old Pine Conservancy to protect and investigate the site's historical significance.
Ron Shaffer stepped forward as a champion for preservation. The former Conservancy president began working on the graveyard in the 1980s, meticulously researching over 4,000 gravesites and identifying numerous additional veterans. His dedication transformed the site into a living historical record.
Knowledge faced the threat of loss. Ron conducted tours from memory, sharing detailed information about each grave and its occupant. When he passed away in 2020, only a handful of volunteers who had shadowed him could continue his work.
A critical shortage emerged. The Conservancy lacked sufficient docents to meet visitor demand or maintain consistent availability. Alice Reyes, current president, recognized the urgent need to preserve Ron's extensive knowledge in a more accessible format.
The solution came through technology. The Conservancy board partnered with STQRY to develop a mobile app featuring audio tour content that would educate visitors on their own schedule, without requiring staff presence.
Pros of Building an App with STQRY
Choosing STQRY as their app builder has paid off. Here are some of the key benefits the Conservancy has experienced.
Designed for Tour Guides
Purpose-built functionality makes all the difference. Unlike generic no-code app builders, STQRY was designed exclusively for creating mobile tour guides. This means maps, GPS triggers, audio functionality, and tour organization are all automatically included. With less tinkering required, apps can be launched in a fraction of the time.
Hands-on Strategy and Support
STQRY’s customer success team provides help at every step of app creation. We can talk you through your strategy for organizing content and answer any questions you have about building and launching your app.
“I'm not technically savvy," admits Alice Reyes, President of Old Pine Conservancy. "It was amazing to have the STQRY team available to help us set up the app and fill out the applications to be a part of the Google and Apple app stores."
Accessibility
The Old Pine Conservancy was able to make its tour content more accessible. When downloading the app, users who are using the General Tour are prompted to select either English or Spanish. For this one tour, the user experience and all of the content is then presented in their chosen language.
Content Flexibility
The possibilities for education are endless. Old Pine Conservancy has developed a General Tour with 22 stops featuring the most notable nation-forming figures and veterans. They also offer a Captain’s tour with the sea captains and privateers of the graveyard.
They’re currently developing an additional tour to explore the role of faith in the American Revolution. With STQRY, they can add new tours based on fresh ideas at any time.
Visitors can explore these tours on any device through the Old Pine Conservancy app.
Making the Tour App Free for Students
The graveyard tour costs a one-time fee of $4.99 and then can be enjoyed again and again. But the Old Pine Conservancy made the app free for use by students and is reaching out to teachers to schedule group field trips so students can learn the stories of those buried here.
"We have a wonderful Youth Tour app for students grades 5 through 12 with high-quality curriculum," explains Alice Reyes. "The audio tour is interactive and tells about each person and the event, then asks the students review questions. During field trips, we also provide teachers with a packet that offers instructional activities."
The Conservancy earned approval from the National Constitution Center, confirming that their app meets state standards and benchmarks for social studies education. Local schools are encouraged to schedule tours and incorporate this historical resource into their teaching.
The Path Ahead
Old Pine Conservatory has been driving users to their app through QR code brochures linking to the app download, community outreach, partnership with the church pastor, and advertisements in local associations.
They will continue to prioritize getting students to the graveyard and making the site a key part of local education on the American Revolutionary War and the local citizens involved in it. This strategy will make the graveyard a vibrant source of local history and help bolster grant applications for continued preservation efforts for fencing, tombstones, and other features.
Key Takeaways
Here are some smart highlights from Old Pine Conservatory:
- Preserve local historian and docent knowledge
- Scale and share knowledge through digital means
- Provide free access to schools
- Use a variety of boots-on-the-ground promotion methods
"I've recommended STQRY to other organizations. You get your money's worth," states Alice Reyes.
Create Your Own Tour App Today
STQRY makes mobile tour development accessible to everyone. The platform requires no coding experience, features an intuitive learning curve, and provides hands-on support throughout the creation process.
Ready to build your own tour app? Check out STQRY today and try the STQRY Builder for free to start preserving and sharing your organization's unique stories.