A Museum Built For the Digital Age
The William Root House Museum & Garden—one of the oldest surviving homes in the Atlanta area—has bridged the 19th and 21st centuries through an innovative, self-guided touchscreen tour system. Designed to deliver deep, immersive historical interpretation without cluttering the restored 1840s period rooms with intrusive signage, this interactive technology transforms how visitors engage with local history, primary sources, and diverse human stories.
The William Root House is the first house museum in the United States to offer a fully self-guided touchscreen tour. By installing interactive digital displays in every room and outbuilding, the museum provides visitors with unprecedented access to historical context, family photographs and primary documents, and original educational videos. The technology provides visitors a comprehensive look at life for both the Root family and the enslaved individuals who lived and worked on the property during the 1840s-50s. Because no blueprint existed for this scale of digital integration in a historic house, museum staff developed the entire system in-house—learning to write code, curate content, and build hardware kiosks from the ground up.
In 2021 the Georgia Association of Museums recognized the Root House for excellence in exhibition theory, planning, and implementation. The recognition specifically commends our use of touchscreen technology and also recognizes our interpretation of the slave experience on the property. Furthermore, the Georgia Association of Museums named the William Root House the "Institution of the Year" in 2023. The touchscreen tour was also recognized by the American Alliance of Museums' (AAM) Center for the Future of Museums in 2023. The Center for the Future of Museums (CFM) monitors cultural, technological, political and economic trends in the museum field. When the CFM became aware of the interactive touchscreen experience at the William Root House they asked Cobb Landmarks Executive Director Trevor Beemon to share about the project on the AAM blog. Additionally, the museum was included in the AAM 2023 TrendsWatch edition of Museum Magazine. In 2026 the museum received an award from MUSE Creative Awards in the Experiential & Immersive Exhibition Experience category.
The William Root House is the first house museum in the United States to offer a fully self-guided touchscreen tour. By installing interactive digital displays in every room and outbuilding, the museum provides visitors with unprecedented access to historical context, family photographs and primary documents, and original educational videos. The technology provides visitors a comprehensive look at life for both the Root family and the enslaved individuals who lived and worked on the property during the 1840s-50s. Because no blueprint existed for this scale of digital integration in a historic house, museum staff developed the entire system in-house—learning to write code, curate content, and build hardware kiosks from the ground up.
In 2021 the Georgia Association of Museums recognized the Root House for excellence in exhibition theory, planning, and implementation. The recognition specifically commends our use of touchscreen technology and also recognizes our interpretation of the slave experience on the property. Furthermore, the Georgia Association of Museums named the William Root House the "Institution of the Year" in 2023. The touchscreen tour was also recognized by the American Alliance of Museums' (AAM) Center for the Future of Museums in 2023. The Center for the Future of Museums (CFM) monitors cultural, technological, political and economic trends in the museum field. When the CFM became aware of the interactive touchscreen experience at the William Root House they asked Cobb Landmarks Executive Director Trevor Beemon to share about the project on the AAM blog. Additionally, the museum was included in the AAM 2023 TrendsWatch edition of Museum Magazine. In 2026 the museum received an award from MUSE Creative Awards in the Experiential & Immersive Exhibition Experience category.
