Lithuanian-American heritage will be collected to an interactive map
2017 08 15. True Lithuania has launched "DESTINATION - AMERICA", a massive project to research and publish the information about the Lithuanian heritage in the northeastern USA.
The sites to be visited will include Lithuanian churches, Lithuanian museums, Lithuanian monuments, locations named after Lithuania(ns) or in Lithuanian, Lithuanian cemeteries, the graves of famous Lithuanians, and more.
The owner of the website Augustinas Žemaitis will visit the sites, take pictures and hear stories.
The preliminary plan of where the DESTINATION AMERICA volunteers will go. A distance of 3000 km will be covered in 15 days. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.
The research results will be freely made available online, in the form of a new interactive map of Lithuanian heritage in the USA, as well as extensive articles with online photo galleries.
Well over 100 Lithuanian locations in 10 US states and DC will be visited and described on the interactive map.
True Lithuania hopes this would make the Lithuanian heritage in the USA well known both among the Lithuanians in Lithuania and the USA, as well as the general American population, attracting more tourism and preservation efforts.
Much of Lithuanian heritage has been lost in the recent decade, with some of the largest Lithuanian churches demolished in Shenandoah and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Lithuanian-American heritage seems to lack the attention from those who protect minority heritage as well as the interest of Lithuania itself, but the DESTINATION AMERICA project seeks to change this.
An example of how the interactive map will look like. Here is a New York section with the Transfiguration Lithuanian church clicked on. The description may be expanded by clicking on the link. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.
The research in America will take place between September 18th and October 4th, 2017.
The project will be completed by December (i.e. the collected information will be made available online in both English and Lithuanian).
The project has won the support of the Government chancery of Lithuania as one of the best projects to commemorate the centenary of Lithuania.
Note: the map is now already available here
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- Destination Lithuanian America Lithuanian-American heritage sites map
- Global True Lithuania Lithuanian communities and heritage all over the world
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