Nestled in the rolling hills of central Kentucky, Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill stands as a testament to a once-thriving utopian community.

With its impeccably preserved 19th-century buildings, rich cultural history and dedication to education, it functions as a dynamic learning environment for both students and historians.

This past semester, a group of University of Kentucky history graduate students embarked on an innovative practicum — led by Stephen Robert Davis, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences — where the past met the future through the use of cutting-edge digital technology, including artificial intelligence (AI).

“History isn’t just about looking backward — it’s about finding new ways to interpret and share the past,” Davis said. “By equipping students with digital skills and giving them real-world applications, we’re ensuring historical research remains dynamic, relevant and accessible.”

This wasn’t a typical history project of dusty books and dimly lit archives — though there was still plenty of research involved. Instead, this practicum engaged students in hands-on historical work that not only deepened their academic knowledge but also supported the mission of one of Kentucky’s most treasured historical sites.

Armed with digital scanning tools, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software and archival databases, the students set out to bring Shaker Village into the digital age — ensuring its rich history remains accessible to future generations.

Preserving the past with 21st-century tools

Under Davis’ guidance, students tackled a variety of projects using advanced digital tools to document and interpret the history of Shaker Village.

A key highlight was the use of 3D photographic scanning to create highly detailed models of archival objects, such as seed display cases. These digital reconstructions not only help preserve the architectural integrity of the site but will soon allow for virtual exhibits — an invaluable resource for researchers and history enthusiasts worldwide.

Additionally, students worked with GIS and drone photography to map historical changes in the landscape, including a once hidden worship site. The 3D model can be viewed on YouTube.

Another key aspect of the practicum was uncovering the businesses that sustained Shaker communities. Through archival research, students explored letters, journals and Chronicling America — a Library of Congress collection of newspapers — to find advertisements that helped build the Shakers’ thriving seed packet trade.

Their findings helped piece together the hidden history of how Shakers invented the business model of selling seeds in “attractive” paper envelopes. Students used a mapping software, called ArcGIS, to show the extent of the trade, which covered nearly every state in the union by the end of the 19th century.

“It was the first time I’ve experienced public history in this form. Before I took this class, I didn’t believe you could integrate metadata into public history in a digestible form,” Dorian Cleveland, a second-year graduate student, said. “Taking this class showed me, sometimes the only way to preserve the past is to utilize the technology we have in the present. Some things will inevitably erode as time goes on, but such a process is not irreversible.”

Looking ahead, seeding future research

One of the digital tools to be used in the next offering of this practicum is an AI-powered transcription program, developed by a team of researchers led by Davis and William Mattingly, a cultural heritage data scientist at Yale University.

“The program, which is called Careful Recall or Caracal for short, was actually developed for use in an archive in South Africa,” Davis, whose area of expertise is South African history, said. “Because AI is so transferrable we hope to use it soon to automate the transcription of handwritten 19th-century documents from Shaker Village into searchable text.”

Davis’ work with Caracal was previously supported by $125,000 in awards from the American Council of Learned Societies.  

The development aims to accelerate the research process across multiple fields by improving access to historical records.

An augmented reality experience is also currently in development — allowing visitors to use their phones to view 3D models of fragile archival objects. This provides a glimpse into what Shaker Village looked like during different time periods. “Using augmented reality immersed us in the objects we discovered in the archive at Pleasant Hill and allowed us to see the community as it once was,” Taylor Smith, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History, said. “Seeing them in a new light gave me a broader understanding of what life was like for the Shakers.”

Supporting a nationally recognized historical site

Ultimately, the project will help inform future preservation efforts, enhance educational programming and provide new resources for visitors eager to learn more about this fascinating chapter of Kentucky history.

“Although scholars and historians have been studying the Shakers for decades, it is always exciting to see how much more we have to learn,” Becky Soules, the director of collections and education at Shaker Village, said. “Utilizing new technologies and the field of digital history will help Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill to uncover previously untold stories and share these histories with our audiences in a myriad of new ways.”

“Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill has always been a place of innovation, and thanks to the efforts of these history graduate students, it remains so — just with a few more digital tools in its toolbox,” Davis added. “As history and technology continue to intersect, this practicum serves as a shining example of how the past and future can work together to keep our stories alive.”

You can learn more about the project here.