$200K in state grants aid local history

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has awarded almost $2 million in Cultural and Historical Support Grants to 154 eligible museums and official county historical societies from 56 Pennsylvania counties.

Of that total, nearly $177,000 went to 14 organizations in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.

In addition, historical and museum commission awarded more than $175,000 in Historical and

Archival Records Care Grants to 34 organizations in 24 Pennsylvania counties.

Of that total, nearly $22,000 went to three organizations in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.

All total, $198,717 went to 16 organizations in the three counties. (Several received a grant in each category.)

The goal of the Cultural and Historical Support Grant program is to strengthen Pennsylvania’s museum community by supporting the general operations of eligible museums and official county historical societies that are not supported by other state agency funding programs. An eligible museum must have an annual operating budget exceeding $100,000 (excluding capital and inkind services) and at least one full-time professional staff person (or approved equivalent).

Award amounts are determined using an equation based on a percentage of the eligible museum’s previous year’s operating budget. The maximum any museum could receive is $40,000. All official county historical societies receive a $4,000 minimum grant.

Here is a listing of how those grants were awarded locally.

BERKS COUNTY

• Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles — $8,442

• Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust — $17,158

• Foundation for the Reading Public Museum — $32,056

• Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association — $28,136

• Historical Society of Berks County— $7,882

CHESTER COUNTY

• American Helicopter Museum and Education Center — $4,000

• Chester County History Center — $19,599

• Graystone Society Inc. — $6,721

• Historic Sugartown Inc. — $4,000

• Historic Yellow Springs Inc. — $11,311 • Wharton Esherick Museum — $5,199

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

• Historical Society of Montgomery County — $4,000

• Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania — $4,497

• National Audubon Society, John James Audubon Center — $10,652

• Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center — $9,077

Historical and Archival Records Care Grants fund projects designed to improve the preservation and accessibility of historically significant records maintained by local governments, historical societies and academic institutions.

HARC grants are administered by the Pennsylvania State Archives, a bureau within PHMC. Funding for the awards spans two years. The maximum

award one institution could receive is $5,000. Collaborative grants were eligible for $5,000 per institution for a maximum of $15,000.

The grants were based on a competitive review of the applications by a subcommittee of the Pennsylvania State Historical Records Advisory Board.

Here is a list of those grants awarded locally.

BERKS COUNTY

• Boyertown Museum of

Historic Vehicles — $2,000

CHESTER COUNTY

• Chester County History Center — $4,987

• Historic Sugartown Inc. — $5,000

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

• Organ Historical Society & Philadelphia Chapter of the American Guild of Artists — $10,000

MEDIANEWS GROUP FILE PHOTOS The Colebrookdale Railroad, pictured above, and The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles both received state grants.

The remnants of the Revolutionary War hospital near the Medicinal Herb Garden at Historic Yellow Springs in West Pikeland.

The John James Audubon Center is located in Lower Providence Township.

The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles.