Latest news with #MHSInSite
Winnipeg Free Press
11-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba Historical Society app puts past at fingertips
Curious about a historic building in Manitoba? There's now an app for that. The Manitoba Historical Society launched its free MHS InSite app on Friday. It details info on more than 10,000 sites across the province; 2,687 of those locations are in Winnipeg. Available for Android and iPhone devices, it has an interactive map that shows which sites are close to a user's location, directions to them and a search function to discover more info on a building or monument. SUPPLIED The Manitoba Historical Society's free MHS InSite app details info on more than 10,000 sites across the province. 'It's a really intriguing way to see what's around you, what you may not have been aware of and then to really dig deeper into the context and history of a site,' said Tracey Turner, executive director for the Manitoba Historical Society. 'It's a groundbreaking innovation for us to connect all of our historical knowledge stored on our database for everyday users to discover.' Turner said the app has been in development for nearly two years and relied on a provincial grant of less the $10,000. Kyle Tichon of Tichon Technologies approached the society with the concept and then continued developing it after funding was secured, she added. The society's decades-old database of research has never before been accessible in 'the palm of your hand.' Turner said she hopes the new app will show people how many historical sites they pass by without knowing the story behind them. It will also improve the info available for tourists when navigating and choosing which sites to see, she said. The app's launch coincides with the kickoff of Historic Places Days, a week-long celebration of historic sites across Canada hosted by the National Trust for Canada. The charity funds and protects heritage locations. Christian Cassidy, local history buff and monthly columnist for the Free Press Community Review, applauded the new app. 'The days of printed walking tour books or driving guides are sadly behind us,' he said. 'If you want to bring this information to people, an app is the way to go,' SUPPLIED The Manitoba Historical Society's free MHS InSite app includes 2,687 locations in Winnipeg. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Cassidy offers walking tours of historic sites in Winnipeg and said he's seen an uptick in people wanting to learn more about the city's history. Having even more information available is an important step to teach people about Manitoba's history and help preserve buildings, he added. 'So much of historical preservation comes after a building has burned down or after a demolition permit has been taken out, then suddenly everybody has all this interest in a building' If people are educated on a site's importance to a neighbourhood before it gets to the point where it might be destroyed, then it might alert others to fund and maintain the buildings, Cassidy said. 'You get beyond that 10 per cent history that always gets talked about and (in the app) you can really drill down into the history of buildings, people and places.'
CTV News
11-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
New app allows you to explore Manitoba's history
A person uses a cellphone in Ottawa on Monday, July 18, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Manitoba's history is now available at the push of a button. On Friday, the Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) announced the launch of 'MHS InSite'—a free, mobile app where Manitobans can learn about nearly 10,000 of the province's historical sites. MHS InSite includes an interactive map that allows users to locate historic locations, including buildings, cemeteries, monuments, and museums, along with accessing information from MHS' archive. MHS InSite is now available in the App Store and Google Play.
CBC
11-07-2025
- General
- CBC
History in your pocket: New app identifies Manitoba stories and sites wherever you stand
Social Sharing A new mobile app brings Manitoba's past into the present — and into the palm of your hand — by helping you discover the history that's all around you, but perhaps not immediately evident. "The reality is we are surrounded by history.… We don't usually know about it, though, because it hasn't been marked or it hasn't been promoted," said Gordon Goldsborough, head researcher of the Manitoba Historical Society, which launched the MHS InSite app on Friday. "I think what people are going to be surprised about, and I think quite enjoy, is that no matter where you are, at least in southern Manitoba, you're going to find stuff all over the place." The free Android and iPhone app features an interactive map that lets users explore a wide range of historic sites, like buildings and monuments, but also "hidden historical gems" that are lesser known, said Goldsborough. Sometimes those are locations where something used to be that's been lost to time. "There's no marker … that would tell you what was there. But of course, there's buildings that have been there or events that took place there," Goldsborough said. "These are the things we can capture." In places where plaques or other monuments do exist, they are often limited in the information they can provide, "but we go further," Goldsborough said. "We'll often have details about who put up the monument, when did they put up the monument [and] why." The app identifies and categorizes sites by six different icons: building, cemetery, location, monument, museum/archive and other. There are some 10,000 in all, with about 2,800 in Winnipeg. If a user taps an icon, it'll open the Manitoba Historical Society website entry. "It's history in your pocket," Goldsborough said. Developer hopes app will foster love of local history The app was launched Friday to coincide with Historic Places Days, an annual national celebration organized by the National Trust for Canada, a charity focused on preserving heritage places. "I hope people will see things they never saw before," Goldsborough said. "I am immensely proud of Manitoba … and I want to tell the world what a great place it is. One of the ways to do that is to say, 'Look at the rich history we have.'" The app was created by Kyle Tichon, who started out in 2023 making one "for fun" in his spare time. He was using open government data but found the information was limited to only 700 sites. Both sets of his grandparents live on farms, so he wanted to include rural Manitoba as well. He did some research and found the historical society website had thousands of sites listed, along with photographs, maps and other details. He contacted Goldsborough to ask about using those resources. The society secured a grant to help Tichon develop the app. "I'm excited that so many more people are able to see it," Tichon said. "One of my favourite moments … was finding historical sites relevant to my grandparents. I was able to find my grandparents' school and was able to hear the stories of all the teachers they had growing up — a school that's been demolished for long before my parents were born. "Now it's included on the app, and that memory is preserved." That rural connection also influenced Tichon's decision to make sure the app didn't rely too heavily on Wi-Fi, because internet connections in rural areas are spotty. Even without data, the app will work, though it's limited. Text will show up but some graphics won't load, like photographs — and there are more than 24,000 of them. One of the biggest challenges was working around the constraints of Google Maps, which is not supposed to have more than about 1,000 markers on it at a time. "Every challenge that I encountered was just a new puzzle I had to solve. It was honestly the most fun I've had in a while," Tichon said. "I hope this app can foster a love of local history … and hopefully can create new conversations with the people who were there and still have memories of some of these historic places." While it covers essentially the whole province, it's not as inclusive as it could be, Goldsborough said, noting he wants to better document more of northern Manitoba but hasn't had the opportunity. He hopes with the app now live, "people will sign on and say, 'Hey, I know about something that your app doesn't have.'" It can also democratize history, he said, given that in the past, it was primarily wealthy men and their properties that were documented. Now, "we all contribute to the betterment of everyone," Goldsborough said, encouraging people to provide any updated information they might have on sites already in the app. "We want to keep up to date. If you find that something that was there is now gone, let us know."
