The foundation for American Heritage Access [AHA] strives to capture the essence of American culture with an intent to make early American manuscripts accessible to modern society. We believe that the successful future of this country is dependent on honoring and respecting its past. In order to achieve this ideal, several projects will be introduced and executed.

The first project will relate to Noah Webster. Noah Webster was the founding father of American education. In 1828, he published the first American dictionary of the English language. Known for its classic literature and biblical examples along with etymology of twenty six different languages, this dictionary is perfect for Christian Bible study and home schooling. He also published the Blue-Backed Speller which was exclusively used in American education for over 100 years. For these reasons, we believe Noah Webster typifies the Spirit of American Heritage. As such, Project::Noah will serve as a cornerstone of this foundation.

The first initiatives of Project::Noah will involve the accessibility of the 1828 American dictionary. Although Webster’s original American dictionary only sold 2,500 copies, today it is used daily by many Americans. Our goal is to make it available to even more. To accomplish this, Project::Noah has three specific visions.
The first vision, Vision::Reprint, has an intent to make a modern printing of the first dictionary of the American language available to the public for under $25. To accomplish this, several tasks are being considered. The first task, Task::Access, involves the digitizing of the original 1828 dictionary. The dictionary is available in microfilm (American Culture Series, Reel 335.6-336.1, Michigan University Microfilms) at many universities. To digitize the microfilm as a batch process requires a special scanner. The foundation intends to serve as the vehicle to find people interested in executing the visions to provide assistance as they are able. In this instance, members of the community can contribute by contacting their local library, finding out if the microfilm is available, and finding out if the library has the batch scanner. Once the images are captured (will only take two hours or so with the right equipment), the PDF scans will be made available online to allow others to contribute to the next necessary task: editing and proofing of the content. Following successful completion of this task, other tasks will follow relating to typography, typesetting, and printing.

The second vision, Vision::Redesign, has an intent to improve the current online accessibility to the 1828 dictionary. The current database, http://1828.mshaffer.com/, has mistakes, omissions of etymology, etc. For this reason the most important tasks, Task::XML, will be an online editing of the current words and definitions to include important missing information. An administrative tool has been built to make this possible [http://1828d.mshaffer.com/] and will be accessible to the community to help in the editing process once the microfilm scan occurs. This task will require the efforts of many volunteers to edit, revise, and format the new database structure (and is relevant to Vision::Reprint). Other tasks related to this Vision::Redesign include identifying features and functionality for the new website [http://1828-dictionary.com]. In addition, plugins will be discussed and created to make the dictionary accessible in other ways: iPhone, Google widget, Firefox Add-on, etc.

The third vision, Vision::Recapture, has an intent to evoke the importance of Noah Webster in our American Heritage. This vision will manifest itself in a commissioned painting of Noah Webster. The process involved will require the input from concerned Americans. The final commission painting will be derived from initial sketches and digital compositions. Feedback from the community is essential for this vision’s success throughout the process. [Old hi-res (~6 MB) etching is available]

Overall the foundation for American Heritage Access [AHA] will strive to capture the essence of American culture by initiating and executing projects that make early American manuscripts accessible to modern society as typified by the first project with Noah Webster. Project::Noah is about making the first American dictionary accessible. To accomplish this, three specific visions need to be executed: Vision::Reprint, will attempt to make a modern printing of the first dictionary of the American language available to the public for under $25; Vision::Redesign, will improve the current online accessibility to the 1828 dictionary; Vision::Recapture will tie the importance of Noah Webster into our American Heritage and create a commissioned painting. All in all, Project::Noah is striving to capture our American Heritage in several ways and make it available to those interested.