Case Study

Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum

Summary
Exhibit graphics, digital interactives, and audio experiences that highlight the life and legacy of Joshua Chamberlain.
Client
Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum, Pejepscot History Center
Location
Brunswick, Maine

The Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum tells the story of Civil War general, Bowdoin College president, and Maine governor Joshua L. Chamberlain. Located in his former home in downtown Brunswick, the museum connects Chamberlain’s legacy to the pivotal events that shaped our country.

The Pejepscot History Center purchased the home in the 1980s, after it had been divided into apartments, and continues to restore the building to reflect its original state. While docents have long guided visitors through this historic space, the museum wanted to phase in interpretive content so that guests could have the option of a self-guided tour.

Enter Perch. In phase one of this project, we collaborated with the museum to select two high-traffic areas—the lobby and entrance stairway—and introduce written content and interactive experiences for independent visitor exploration.

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Adding Interactivity to the Lobby

The museum’s lobby is a small space that originally housed a few artifacts and artwork, but didn’t tell a cohesive story. While Chamberlain is an iconic figure for many Civil War buffs, we chose to expand the target audience for this space, so that visitors without prior knowledge or interest could find themes that resonate with their own lives.

To tell the interwoven stories of the Chamberlain family and their home, we used two timelines that stretch around the room. In addition to artifacts, historic images, and graphic panels, we created an Interactive Timeline for visitors to take a deep dive into Chamberlain’s activities during the Civil War.

During this turbulent time in American history, Chamberlain was pulled in many directions (both literally and figuratively). The interactive kiosk allows visitors to scroll through major battles and personal events, honing in on moments that most interest them.

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Stepping Back in Time

The stairway takes visitors from the lobby to the first stop on the house tour. We wanted to make it more than just a necessary step on the path from A to B: our goal was to immerse visitors in the past, setting the tone for the experience and creating the sensation of stepping back in time.

To bring that feeling to life, we filled the stairway with large-scale graphic wraps using photos from the Pejepscot History Center’s archive. As visitors climb the stairs, they travel through the decades of Brunswick’s past until they reach the 1820s, stepping into the decade in which Chamberlain was born.

Along the way, visitors are greeted by three motion-triggered Audio Stations that play iconic Chamberlain quotes from different stages in his life. LED strips laid along the base of the graphics illuminate the photos and pulse gently with the rhythm of his speech, evoking flickering candle light.

Together, these elements transform the stairway into an immersive introduction, setting the stage for the stories that unfold throughout the house.

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Start at the Beginning: Early Years Gallery 

The Early Years Gallery is the foundation of Joshua and Fannie Chamberlain’s story, introducing visitors to their families, childhoods, and remarkable three-year courtship. We wanted this gallery to support self-guided exploration while maintaining the warmth and intimacy of their historic home.

To preserve the open feeling, we introduced hanging fabric panels that helped define this small space with a light touch. The panels, which include much of the interpretive content traditionally shared by docents during guided tours, provide space for additional images and support both a self-led and docent-guided experience.

We also wanted to create an opportunity for visitors to connect with Joshua and Fannie through their own words. They had a three-year engagement that was sustained almost entirely through letters and their correspondence offers a rare, unguarded glimpse into their relationship and their evolving characters as they navigated their twenties.

And so we designed the Letter Interactive, repurposing an original writing desk from the Brunswick post office into a hands-on experience. Visitors can select a reproduced letter and unfold it to read excerpts from Joshua and Fannie’s letters to one another. The result is a simple, tactile interaction that invites visitors to slow down and experience each of their voices firsthand.

Bringing the Battle to Life: Joshua’s Study

Joshua Chamberlain’s study houses many of the museum’s most significant Civil War artifacts. We wanted a way to support the rich story that these objects tell, while letting the objects and feel of the room shine.

To do that, we decided to take a deep dive into one of the battles that had a profound effect on both the Civil War and Joshua’s life personally. The result was the Battle Map Interactive: a compact, desk-mounted station that explores the Battle of Little Round Top, in which Chamberlain and the 20th Maine played a pivotal role in Union victory at Gettysburg.

The touchscreen interactive uses an animated topographic map to bring the battle to life. As visitors move through the timeline of the battle, they track troop movements, strategic decisions, and pivotal moments that shaped the outcome. A combination of animation, interpretive text, and sound effects paint the scene in a way that engages visitors and supports the story told by the artifacts within Joshua’s study.

Gathering in the Parlor

The parlor was the social heart of the Chamberlain household, where Joshua and Fannie welcomed everyone from Bowdoin students to visiting dignitaries. We wanted to recapture the warmth and hospitality that defined this space while creating a setting to explore Joshua’s years as president of Bowdoin College and the couple’s shared love of the arts.

The centerpiece of the room is a lenticular wall, with each side dedicated to one of the Chamberlains’ greatest creative passions. One side celebrates Fannie’s artistic talents through a hands-on Quilting Station inspired by her original quilt squares. Visitors arrange colorful geometric shapes to design their own quilt block. Their design is captured by an overhead camera and is transformed into a repeating quilt pattern on a nearby tablet.

The opposite side explores the Chamberlains’ love of music through a Parlor Music Interactive, inspired by the lively gatherings that once filled this space. This station highlights two traditional songs that were recorded in collaboration with Bowdoin students. Visitors can add or subtract a viola, piano, or flute to the song by touching each one, recreating the experience of gathering to make music together in the parlor.

Around the room, interpretive panels and artifacts highlight Joshua’s presidency at Bowdoin, reinforcing the parlor’s role as a place of learning, conversation, and community.