WEST CHESTER — The Chester County Historical Society (CCHS) is pleased to receive a technology pledge of $250,000 from Bentley Systems for the upcoming exhibition Chester County: A Place in History. The pledge will aid CCHS in developing interactive components for this exhibit such as touchscreens, mobile tablets, handicapped-accessible devices, computer-based kiosks and listening stations, audio and multi-media devices, and manipulatives.
The Chester County Historical Society’s new 6,000 sq. ft. permanent exhibition Chester County: A Place in History will highlight CCHS’s nationally recognized permanent collections with a depth of interpretation that will enable visitors, local and distant, to understand more about this community and their relationship to it. This innovative re-installation and expansion project will feature stories about people, places and events that make this vibrant county unique. CCHS will be able to increase access physically and electronically to more objects, photographs, and manuscripts than ever before through the exhibit and an adjacent gallery featuring visible storage. The exhibition is scheduled to open in 2017.
“This exhibition marries the past and present of Chester County by using cutting-edge technology to tell a story about our beginnings,” said Bentley Systems CEO Greg Bentley. “My wife, Caroline, and I, along with all of my colleagues at Bentley, are proud to support the Chester County Historical Society as it continues this great work enhanced by Rob Lukens. Chester County: A Place in History will be a testament to his vision and forward-thinking approach to our shared history.”
David B. Reinfeld, Interim President & VP, Development of the Historical Society, stated, “CCHS is very grateful for this significant technology pledge from Bentley Systems. It speaks volumes about Greg and Caroline Bentley’s and Bentley Systems’ continued generous support of CCHS’s mission and the importance of the exhibition Chester County: A Place in History, which will inspire innumerable visitors and researchers for decades to come.”
An anonymous donor who believes strongly in the importance of this project will match each gift in 2015 dollar for dollar, thus doubling every donation’s power. To date, CCHS has successfully raised more than $2.2 million in gifts and pledges from members and community partners towards Chester County: A Place in History. For more information, please visit http://chestercohistorical.org/permanent-gallery-project
