Fairport Harbor Marine Museum is providing its visitors with some different approaches to exploring history, thanks to the recent addition of two new interactive displays. A grant from Tour Lake County furnished a large portion of the funding to buy these customized digital kiosks.That same grant paid for some new outdoor signs at the museum and its adjacent lighthouse, which are both located at 129 Second St. in Fairport Harbor Village. “We really appreciate Tour Lake County’s support,” said Marty O’Gara, who is president of the Fairport Harbor Historical Society. The society is an all-volunteer organization that operates and maintains the museum, founded in 1945, and the 153-year-old lighthouse. Acquiring the two interactive displays and updating exterior signs marked the completion of a 1 1/2-year project involving Tour Lake County and the museum. Tour Lake County is the official destination marketing organization for its namesake county in Northeast Ohio. The organization has been looking at ways it can help local attractions and museums to draw more visitors, said Executive Director Neil Stein. Stein said most local museums don’t have a lot to offer when it comes to interactive displays and “things, activities or attractions that are new, and/or would attract repeat visitors and younger demographics of visitors — families in particular.” O’Gara said Tour Lake County approached leaders of the Marine Museum to discuss ways of attracting more visitors. After both entities decided to move forward with the project, Tour Lake County provided a $30,000 grant, O’Gara said. Fairport Harbor Historical Society and the village government also contributed $5,000 each, for a project that was estimated to cost $40,000. Tour Lake County also put museum officials in touch with RGI Creative, a North Ridgeville-based company that specializes in immersive experiences, design and fabrication. “They came out and toured the museum and provided suggestions on things we could do, and we went from there,” O’Gara said. “We went over to their shop twice.” RGI specialists and museum leaders discussed a variety of ideas, and eventually it was decided to creative two interactive touchscreen kiosks, each focusing on different activities. The larger of the two displays gives museum visitors an opportunity to “tour” the Great Lakes while “sailing” on a schooner. That schooner is a reconstruction of the Madeline, which originally was built in Fairport Harbor in 1845. By touching the screen in designated areas, visitors can direct the schooner to stop at various cities located along or near one of the Great Lakes, such as Detroit; Erie, Pa.; Chicago; and Duluth Minnesota. The display shows photos of lighthouses or other sites at each city that the schooner visits. Text also accompanies each photo, so viewers know exactly what they’re seeing. O’Gara credited museum historian John Ollila and technology specialist Mike Shaulis with providing information and photos that are featured in the Great Lakes tour interactive display. In fact, Ollila supplied photos from actual trips aboard the reconstruction of the Madeline. He’s been sailing as a crew member of the schooner since 2006. Ollila said Shaulis assembled the photos so they “looked cool” when shown on the Tour the Great Lakes interactive display. A new Local Stories interactive display at the Fairport Harbor Marine Museum shows a photo of the third-order Fresnel lens, which once was used in the lighthouse that is located beside the museum. A grant from Tour Lake County helped to fund a project that included the purchase of two customized interactive displays at the museum. The historical society operates and maintains the museum and its adjacent lighthouse, which are located at 129 Second St. in Fairport Harbor Village. (Bill DeBus – The News-Herald) The other new touchscreen kiosk at the museum features a collection of stories and photos about different aspects of history involving not only the Great Lakes, but also Fairport Harbor Village. For example, some of the different historical subjects include Fairport Harbor churches; commercial fishing on Lake Erie; and Fairport Harbor’s role as a stop on the Underground Railroad that brought Black slaves to freedom in Canada. When visitors click on a Local Stories topic, the touchscreen will show a variety of photos. Within each photo are arrows which visitors can use to turn over photos and see information that’s printed on the back. People can flip back to the picture with another touch of an arrow. O’Gara said reaction to the interactive displays has varied since they were introduced nearly three months ago. Some visitors only want to look at actual artifacts on display at the museum. But other people have enjoyed learning more about history through the touchscreen displays. Shaulis said he believes that the two new interactive displays help to complement and supplement the museum’s collection of historical items and objects that are exhibited in a traditional manner. “I think our best stuff is out there in the museum,” he said. “But we have other things, too, other stories to tell, and not all the stories are told by going around looking at the stuff, the items that we have out.” When RGI Creative employees toured the museum, one suggestion they offered to the historical site’s leaders was to make the museum more open and easy to get around. That idea prompted museum officials to reorganize the museum’s artifacts. “We had a lot of things that were on the floor, up against walls,” O’Gara said. “We had some big models that really weren’t there for any reason except that they’ve always been there.” Back in early June, Ollila, the museum’s historian; and the organization’s Collection Committee, went through historical site and “made a list of things we thought we could move — not get rid of, and possibly bring back later,” O’Gara said. She said Morse Van Lines was hired to move designated items to a storage unit that is “climate controlled and very safe,” O’Gara said. Shaulis said museum leaders also strived to add more printed information to the new arrangement of artifacts to enhance learning opportunities for visitors. Fairport Harbor Historical Society President Marty O’Gara stands beside a new sign that recently was installed at the Fairport Harbor Marine Museum. A grant from Tour Lake County helped to fund a project that included the purchase of two customized interactive displays and new exterior signs at the museum. The historical society operates and maintains the museum and its adjacent lighthouse, which are located at 129 Second St. in Fairport Harbor Village. (Bill DeBus – The News-Herald) Tour Lake County’s grant also helped pay for a new museum sign that borders High Street; and a new sign for directing visitors to the museum entrance and gift shop. Informational signs near the lighthouse and on the museum’s deck also were updated to include new photos. O’Gara said the signs were created and installed by Innovation Exhibits, a Boardman-based company owned by Steve Gable. O’Gara said the grant provided by Tour Lake County had a positive impact on the Fairport Harbor Marine Museum, especially when it came to adding interactive displays to the site’s offerings. “They’ve really made it possible for us to go in a new direction,” she said. “And we’ll be able to keep it going.”