Pembroke Soundscapes

Explore the interactive story of Pembroke's industrial history. This site uses sounds. Please adjust your volume accordingly.

Explore Pembroke's History

Pembroke is a small historic town in the Ottawa Valley. Situated on the Ottawa River, Pembroke was involved in logging operations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Pembroke's location near lumber resources on the Ottawa River helped it grow into a bustling industrial town. Throughout the early 20th century, Pembroke grew around several major industries: paper and pulp, steel office equipment and furniture, and electrical appliances. Towards the end of the 20th century, Pembroke's industry declined. This project explores the history of several companies in Pembroke through an interactive map. The map is a multi-media experience that explores the relationship between sound and memory. Each story links out to a more comprehensive timeline with images and sounds.

Read about the Project

The Pembroke Soundscapes Project explores the relationship between sound and memory through the decline of industry in Pembroke, Ontario from the 1950s to the present day. This project is as much an exploration of open access as it is a historical project. Open access means freely sharing ideas, material, and information on the internet. I publish all of my research notes on the web for others to use, read, and critique. A reflection for this project was written 'live' entirely online. Click the button below to learn how this project came together and how this website impacted people.

View the Reflection

Download the Pembroke Soundscapes Project to your Computer

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If you cannot update your browser or have a slow internet connection, worry not! You can also download this project as a program to your computer.

Download to Desktop

About the Project

This project is entirely open access and uses only free, open source code, sounds, and information. The map was built using LeafletJS, an open source javascript library for interactive maps. The source code for the map is adapted from Jack Dougherty's Leaflet Storymap. The timeline idea was modified from Sebastiano Guerriero's code here. With original music by Daniel Kazandjian.




Contribute

No historical project can ever be finished. This project will develop through user contribution. To share your stories, memories, photographs, news clippings, and more, click the icon above to contact Rob Blades.




Share

Share this website with friends, family, colleagues, students - sharing helps to grow this project, keeping it open and evolving. Click the icon above to copy the website address.




Fork on Bitbucket

Bitbucket is a free online repository for hosting web based projects. All projects files are hosted on Bitbucket. Click the icon above to visit my repository. You are free to use the source files and take the project anywhere you desire.

Resources

History is a living process that can never be finished and packaged into a single list of facts. While this project will grow through your contributions and feedback, you can explore the history of Pembroke from a variety of platforms and perspectives.