Peter Mott House Web Redesign Project

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The Lawnside Historical Society was formed in response to the planned demolition of a local home located in Lawnside, New Jersey – one of the few incorporated African American communities in the United States. The Lawnside community was able to negotiate with a property developer to save the home of Peter and Elizabeth Mott. Peter Mott, a suspected escaped enslaved person and his wife Elizabeth used their household as a stop on the Underground Railroad to help other enslaved people on their journeys North to freedom. The Lawnside Historical Society is dedicated to the protection of the legacy of Peter and Elizabeth Mott and their home as part of the Underground Railroad network.

Client

Lawnside Historical Society

Timeline

July 2021

Work

Website

Tools

Wordpress, Illustrator, XD

Website

www.petermotthouse.org

Challenge

When the login credentials to the original website were lost, the President of Lawnside Historical Society was ready to call in for reinforcements. The Lawnside Historical Society was ready for a fresh new look for the Peter Mott House to better position the organization for visitors, donors and corporate sponsors and partnerships. The goal was to reposition the Peter Mott House as a resource for continued education and learning, due to their closed status due to the state’s lockdown restrictions during the pandemic.

Approach

Give the people what they want - LHS regularly collected feedback from their site visitors and guests so we were able to get first hand opinions about what they would love to see from the historic site. We knew that they wanted more information about the historic site, inhabitants and local Lawnside community. The architecture of the site follows a traditional layout of information for visitors of museums and historic sites, but includes some feature areas focused on user goals—with info about the Lawnside community & its inhabitants in a compelling way.

Solution

FORM+FACET proposed a solution that included a refresh of their original logo, and a new website that would support their new goals. Based on feedback from visitors of the historic site, we knew that they were seeking more information about Peter and his wife Elizabeth, but also wanted more information about the home, the lives of its inhabitants and local community. LHS was committed to building new relationships with donors and corporate partners. As a result, they wanted to be able to produce events that would reach people outside of the Lawnside community, while their historic site was closed to the public.Outcome

Outcome

The site now has a modern, clean appearance that is distinctive and showcases the vibrant and remarkable spirit of the Lawnside community. The final product helps the historical site to better connect with visitors and guests, due the pandemic, and allows them to rank higher in organic search results.

In less than a year of the site launch, LHS has partnered with corporations, organizations and local community members to host a series of talks and events to encourage visitors and supporters to keep learning about Peter Mott and the existence of the Lawnside community as one the oldest African American communities in the US.