The Walker Field Shelter House, located in South Bend, is among the 14 sites around Indiana that are expected to receive federal grants dollars to aid historic preservation efforts. Photo provided by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Fourteen historic preservation projects around the state are slated to receive thousands of dollars in federal grants, state officials announced earlier this month.

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund program, which is administered by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.

For 2024, the HPF grant awards total more than $635,000. Applicants will match those grants with an additional $604,000, for a total investment of more than $1.2 million toward Indiana’s historic and cultural resources, according to DHPA.

Divided into four categories — archaeology, rehabilitation, architectural and historical — the projects are expected to begin this summer and be completed by June 30, 2026.

Here’s a breakdown of the projects and funding awards:

Archaeology Projects

• Clinton County: A $49,999 grant to the University of Indianapolis to conduct a Phase Ia archaeological survey of approximately 607 acres.
• Wabash County: A $50,000 grant to Ball State Applied Anthropology Laboratories to conduct a Phase Ia archaeological survey of approximately 40 acres in Salamonie River State Forest.

Rehabilitation Projects

• Bloomington, Monroe County: An $18,000 grant to the City of Bloomington to repair the front steps at the Benjamin Banneker Community Center.
• Chesterfield, Madison County: A $73,221 grant to the Indiana Association of Spiritualists to assist with the stabilization of the concrete floor structure of the Maxon Fellowship Center. The center serves as the dining hall and gathering venue for residents and visitors to Camp Chesterfield.
• Goshen: A $75,000 grant to the Elkhart County Clubhouse to assist with installing high efficiency heat pumps and rebuilding the unsafe rear porch in the 1890 Cora Dale House.
• Indianapolis: A $61,550 grant to the Irvington Historical Society to replace a flat roof section of the Bona Thompson Center in Indianapolis and replace its HVAC system.
• Indianapolis: A $75,000 grant to the Indianapolis Propylaeum to assist with masonry and woodwork rehabilitation on its carriage house.
• Indianapolis: A $40,000 grant to the Indiana Humanities Council to assist with masonry rehabilitation on the 1903 Meredith Nicholson House.
• Shoals, Martin County: A $75,000 grant to the town of Shoals to assist with stabilization of the 1872 Mohr Building, which is a significant three-story commercial building and has been vacant for more than a decade.
• South Bend: A $75,000 grant to the city of South Bend to assist with the rehabilitation of the Walker Field Shelter House, which was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1938. The project will replace the asphalt shingle roof on the park structure and arcade wings.
• South Bend: A $47,095 grant to the St. Casimir Parish to assist with the cost and installation of new boilers for the sanctuary and school wing of the historic church.

Architectural And Historical Projects

• Fort Wayne: A $15,000 grant to the city of Fort Wayne and the Wildwood Park neighborhood to prepare a landscape study for the Rockhill Park.
• Franklin, Johnson County: A $25,000 grant to Franklin Heritage, Inc. to assist with national nominations for the northside, eastside and southside historic districts. In addition, the project will make revisions and updates to the downtown commercial district to expand the period of significance and include additional properties.
• Indianapolis: A $36,337 grant to the Athenaeum Foundation to prepare a historic structure report for the Athenaeum building.