The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Torrington Historical Society gets $27,000 grant
TORRINGTON — The Torrington Historical Society has been awarded a $27,000 grant.
The Connecticut Humanities money will help the Historical Society create an online collections databse and plan for an environmentally stable collections facility, according to a release.
The CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant, through the National Endowment for the Humanities, will provide significant assistance as it focuses on the two initiatives, staff members said.
“This grant will be instrumental in moving the society closer to improving collection storage and providing public access to the object and archival collections,” said Gail Kruppa, associate director and curator, in the release. “Preserving and sharing Torrington’s history is at the heart of what we do for the community, non-residents and researchers.”
Specifically, grant funds
will allow the society to hire a facility planning consultant as well as staff to assist with the processing and digitization of collections for the online database, the society said.
Torrington Historical Society was one of 624 organizations in Connecticut awarded CT Cultural Fund support totaling $16 million from CT Humanities. The funds are part of $30.7 million of support allocated to arts, humanities, and cultural nonprofits through CTH over the next two years by the CT General Assembly and approved by Gov. Ned Lamont, according to the release. The CTCFOSG will assist organizations as they recover from the pandemic and maintain and grow their ability to serve their community and the public.
This grant was administered by CT Humanities, with funding provided by the state Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts from the Connecticut State Legislature.
The Torrington Historical
Society has been sharing Torrington’s history with residents, researchers and tourists from the region, the country and beyond for over 75 years. A nonprofit organization, the society provides programs, exhibits, tours and research services to thousands of people each year.
Located at the historic Hotchkiss-Fyler estate, 192 Main St., the Torrington Historical Society operates the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum (built 1900) and two permanent exhibits: “No Place Like Home: The History of Torrington” and “Pursuit of Precision: The Hendey Machine Company 18701954.”
The John H. Thompson Research Library and Archive is frequently used by scholars, schoolchildren, genealogists, businesses, organizations and the general public. Educational programs are offered to schools and the general public throughout the year. The society also owns the West Torrington birthplace of abolitionist John Brown.