Divine Revelations Ministries, Inc.Helping all people live more enriching lives.

Geeks & Gramps oral history project

Voices of Frenchtown

Every voice tells a story. Every story preserves a legacy.

Made possible through a 2026 AARP Community Challenge Grant, DRMI’s Geeks & Gramps project brings generations together to preserve and share the rich history of Tallahassee’s historic Frenchtown neighborhood.

Explore the ProjectShare Your Story
Bench QR

The experience

Stories from longtime residents, descendants, and community members.

A public historical bench at Carter Howell Strong Park will connect visitors to DRMI-hosted audio stories, photos, and digital content that honor Frenchtown’s people, places, traditions, and memories.

Planned public unveiling: October 17, 2026 at Carter Howell Strong Park, 623 W. Georgia Street, Tallahassee.

Project overview

Welcome to a living archive of Frenchtown’s history and legacy.

The stories in this archive are shared by longtime residents, descendants, and community members with deep connections to Frenchtown. Through their voices, DRMI celebrates the history that continues to shape this historic neighborhood and invites visitors to listen, learn, and help keep its legacy alive for generations to come.

Frenchtown historians wanted

Help preserve a story only you can tell.

DRMI is inviting longtime residents, descendants, and community members with deep Frenchtown connections to contribute memories and oral histories for consideration.

Apply to share a story
Intergenerational engagementOral history preservationCommunity revitalizationTechnology educationPublic art and remembrance

How it works

Visitors scan the bench QR code and hear stories from longtime community voices.

Historical bench

QR codes can be engraved or embedded on the bench, signage, handouts, or future exhibit material.

DRMI story pages

QR codes open a DRMI page, not a raw file, so stories, audio, video, and status can be managed over time.

Living archive

The first set of stories can grow into a permanent oral history archive and education resource.

Digital experience

Each published story can become its own listening page.

Individual pages may include a participant profile, photo block, audio player, summary, transcript, association with Frenchtown, youth reflection, sponsor acknowledgment, and optional YouTube video.

  • Participant profile blocks
  • Embedded audio players
  • Approved historical photos
  • Story summaries and transcripts
  • Youth reflection section
  • Sponsor acknowledgments

A respectful listening experience

Every story centers the person behind the voice.

A short introduction shares the participant’s connection to Frenchtown and helps listeners understand the people, places, and memories in the recording.

Listen at your own pace

Story archive

Stories are being prepared for publication.

DRMI will add each voice after the participant’s consent and publication review are complete. Please return soon to listen to the growing archive.

From conversation to community archive

Stories move from shared memories to a lasting public resource.

  1. Youth and elders prepare interview topics together.
  2. Community members share memories, experiences, and connections to Frenchtown.
  3. Each story is edited and reviewed with consent and dignity at the center.
  4. Approved stories are published on a dedicated DRMI listening page.
  5. Visitors scan, listen, learn, and explore more voices from the archive.

Security and privacy

Published stories stay intentional, reviewed, and controlled by DRMI.

DRMI uses limited publishing access, private storage for unpublished audio, consent review, and stable story links that can be updated or withdrawn when needed.

Limited publishing access for authorized DRMI team members
Private audio storage for raw files
Public access only for approved published stories
Consent and media release tracking before publication
Story links that can be updated or withdrawn when needed
Mobile-friendly pages served over HTTPS

Audio branding

Consistent intro and outro language can frame every recording.

You are listening to Voices of Frenchtown, an intergenerational storytelling initiative by the Geeks & Gramps Program of Divine Revelations Ministries, Inc., preserving the voices, history, and legacy of Frenchtown one story at a time.
Thank you for listening to Voices of Frenchtown. We honor the voices of our elders, the leadership of our youth, and the rich history of the Frenchtown community.

Community impact

Secure, sustainable, accessible public technology that honors Frenchtown history.

The website and bench initiative support cultural preservation, community engagement, youth leadership, and long-term public access to Frenchtown history.