Scanning Gaston County's history
22.05.12
But now there's a new way to get basic facts. Anybody with a smart phone can go to historic sites around the county and tap into information about those places.
You may have heard of quick response codes, or QRs. These are bar codes that can be scanned with smart phones, opening to a Web page where information about just about anything can be found. Mostly, this is a hot new tool for advertisers.
But in Gaston the QRs are raising a new window on the past.
The project is sponsored by the county museum, the museum auxiliary and the county historic preservation commission.
About 25 to 30 QRs have already gone up on buildings around the county, including several in downtown Gastonia. Eventually, organizers hope to get 200 bar codes installed. Each site is identified by the museum's logo and a number.
Organizers think Gaston is among the first counties in the state to use the bar codes for explaining local history.
Museum board member Anne Furr has been pitching the QR idea for several years. She first heard about them at a Charlotte ceremony dedicating a statue of "Capt. Jack," the Revolutionary War figure who made the famous ride to Philadelphia to deliver the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.
Source: Charlotte Observer