What Once Was

Developed in Unreal Engine 5, the Wilton House VR project is a virtual reality recreation of the original site of Wilton House, home to the prominent Randolph family of Virginia between 1753 and 1859. The home was moved to its current location in 1932 and is now a museum.

Wilton House is historically significant: General LaFayette encamped with his men upon the property during the American Revolution, and the home hosted a number of significant visitors, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

The Wilton House VR project recreates the original 2,000-acre tobacco plantation in its original setting on the James River near Richmond, VA and is available to view at the Wilton House Museum. Visitors can virtually explore the original site of the house, outbuildings, structures occupied by enslaved workers, and many other aspects of the original property that are now lost to history. The project also shows the Wilton property as it looked during the 1930’s, shortly before the house was moved to its present location.

During a year-long design effort, a team of faculty, staff, and students undertook a variety of development activities, including 3D modeling, level creation, interaction design, environment lighting, audio recording, and more.

We also took a trip to Richmond where we explored the house and the original Wilton House property using drone videography, 3D scans, and photography to understand the spaces we would be recreating. Historical documentation and archeological reports helped us to recreate the original look and feel of the Wilton House plantation. Wilton House VR was presented at the Virginia Forum in spring 2024 and the Virginia Association of Museums (VAM) annual conference in 2025.

Media

• SCiL Completes Wilton House VR Project
• Shenandoah Center For Immersive Learning Develops Virtual Recreation of Historic Plantation
  

Credits

Director / Producer: Nathan Prestopnik, PhD

Executive Director, Wilton House: Joe Rizzo, PhD

Director of Visitor Experience, Wilton House: Erica Blake

Lead Developer: Wes Brown

3D Modeling Leads: Tyler Dossat ’25, Joey Miciotta ’24

Additional 3D Models: Ethan Swope ’25, Wes Brown, Nathan Prestopnik

Audio Lead / Voice Performance: Johnny Bernard ’23

Audio Support: Valentino Colella ’26

Reference Data: Tyler Dossat ’25, Ann Fink ’25, Joey Miciotta ’24, Luke Yager ’25

Drone Videography: Lee Graff

Operations Support: Mariah Arant, Duasiane’ Benjamin, Amy Vaden

Privacy Policy and End User License Agreement

See the Shenandoah University and Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning (SCiL) VR/AR/XR Privacy Policy and End User License Agreement (EULA).