Indiana DNR Awards More Than $800K In Grants For Historical Preservation
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has awarded a total of $828,797 in funds for its annual Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology grants to projects across the state.
Projects that will benefit from the grants to preserve local history include:
- Ball State University’s anthropology department received two grants of $49,929 each to conduct archaeological surveys in Benton and Newton counties. The surveys will encompass 900 acres in Benton county and 800 acres in Newton county.
- Conner Prairie received $37,460 to repair and restore interior features of the 1823 Conner House. The house serves as a museum to demonstrate life in early Indiana.
- The University of Indianapolis received $50,000 to survey approximately 1,000 acres of land with high vulnerability for urban development or erosion. Several areas in the Ohio River floodplain and those under development pressure are included.
- The city of Fort Wayne received $3,873 to produce brochures for the West End Neighborhood and The Landing historic districts. West End was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and The Landing was added in 1993.
- The town of Georgetown received a $10,000 grant for repairs and restoration to Georgetown State Bank, built in 1909. The town purchased the bank in 1981 to use for a town hall.
- The Indiana Medical History Museum in Indianapolis received a $50,000 grant to rehabilitate the exterior of the Old Pathology Building at the Central State Hospital complex. The building, built in 1896, currently houses the museum but was formerly a medical research and teaching facility.
- The Hall Civic Association in Monrovia received $10,150 for masonry repairs on the Hall School, built in 1911. The school was decommissioned in 2005 and is being rehabilitated for community purposes.
- The city of Muncie was awarded a $50,000 grant to assist with rehabilitation of the Muncie Masonic Temple, now the Cornerstone Center for the Arts. When it was built in 1920, it was the largest Masonic Lodge in Indiana.
- The town of Shoals received $2,000 to help prepare a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the Shoals Historic District. The area includes the commercial core of the community and a surrounding residential district, encompassing approximately 63 historic resources.
- The Daviess County Commissioners received a $50,000 grant to stabilize and rehabilitate the stained glass skylight in the Daviess County Courthouse. The courthouse was built in 1928.
The funds for the grants come from the National Park Service, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior, which distributes federal money to states through the HIstoric Preservation Fund Program. Since 1974, Indiana has awarded more than $18 million to communities as part of the program.
Source: Indiana DNR