The 19th century slave cabin that was recently transferred from Edisto Island, S.C. to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture’s collection. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has acquired a slave cabin from the first half of the 19th century, currently located at Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto Island, S.C. The Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society donated it to the museum after receiving it originally from the Burnet Maybank family, the current owners of the plantation.

The one-story, rectangular, weatherboard-clad cabin was dismantled piece by piece at its original location, removed from the Point of Pines Plantation and is now being preserved.  Once preservation is completed, it will be transferred to the NMAAHC collection. Smithsonian representatives were present during the deconstruction to conduct additional research on the structure and those who lived there.

The reconstructed cabin will be on view in the “Slavery and Freedom” exhibition when the museum opens in late 2015. This exhibition will focus on the crucial role slavery played in the making of America and its impact on generations of enslaved Africans and their descendants.

To read more about the slave cabin, visit http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/slave-cabin-donated-national-museum-african-american-history-and-culture.

While the Smithsonian’s newest museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture is currently under construction, its building and content can be explored in the palm of a hand. The museum has unveiled two free mobile phone apps, “View NMAAHC” and “Changing America: To Be Free,” that allow the public to virtually experience the museum before its opening in 2015.

To see what the museum will look like when completed, the “View NMAAHC” augmented-reality app will give the public a peek into the future. Users who are visiting the museum’s Washington, D.C., construction site can view a three-dimensional architectural model of the building. Other immersive experiences, available to all users regardless of their location, include a 360-degree view of the museum’s site and an architectural fly through of the museum’s interiors.

For those curious about how individuals across the nation reacted to the Emancipation Proclamation, the “Changing America: To Be Free” app commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation by providing personal accounts of those who were affected by President Abraham Lincoln’s executive order. This app offers users the ability to search, sort and read personal stories from across the North, South and border states from men and women of all ages. The app is a digital component of the museum’s current exhibition, “Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and The March on Washington, 1963,” on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History until Sept. 7, 2014.

The “View NMAAHC” app is currently available for iPhone, iPad and Android and is available for download from the App Store or Google Play.

The “Changing America: To Be Free” app is available for the iPad from the App Store or Google Play, and will soon be available for iPhone and Android.