Grant Program Funded through Voluntary Donations by Ohio Taxpayers
(COLUMBUS, OH)— The Ohio History Connection is pleased to announce that it has awarded seven organizations Ohio History Fund grants. Now in its fifth year, the Ohio History Fund is a competitive matching grants program that is one of six “tax check-off” funds found on Ohio’s income tax forms and funded entirely through Ohio taxpayers’ voluntary contributions.
“The Ohio History Fund allows us to preserve and share Ohio stories by supporting local projects in communities throughout the state,” said Burt Logan, executive director & CEO of the Ohio History Connection. “This important work by local history organizations strengthens our understanding of the past, leads us to a better future and ensures Ohio’s stories are told for years to come.”
Since 2013, the Ohio History Fund has made 52 grants to history organizations all across the state, totaling over half a million dollars.
The seven recipients of the 2017 Ohio History Fund grants are:
- Dayton Society of Natural History (Dayton) received $12,000 to build a new exhibit space at SunWatch Village, a site of the Dayton Natural History Society. The project will enable SunWatch Village to interpret aspects of the Fort Ancient culture not otherwise exhibited in the re-created village setting and will provide visitors with an increased understanding of Ohio’s earliest inhabitants. The new exhibits space will also free up area in a multipurpose space currently used for exhibits which will lead to additional programming availability.
- Kent State University, Department of Anthropology (Kent) received $2,500 to conduct an archaeological survey of the Berlin Lake Reservoir. The survey will uncover information necessary to protect an important pre-historic site and aid in the understanding of a lesser-studied area of Northeast Ohio. Led by an archaeologist, the project will also provide field experience and training for students.
- Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Agency (Lancaster) received $15,000 to repair and rehabilitate the original windows in the Fairfield County Children’s Home, constructed in 1886. The Fairfield County Children’s Home is a late 19th–century building that provided a home and education for orphaned children. It’s now a source of affordable housing for the community in Fairfield County.
- Peninsula Valley Historic & Education Foundation (Peninsula) received $14,000 to rehabilitate and return to its proper place the steeple of Bronson Church, a landmark of the Peninsula’s downtown historic district. The steeple is a local landmark which, in conjunction with the other buildings in the district, draws visitors to the area, a part of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
- Seneca County Commissioners (Tiffin) received $3,000 to support strategic planning for the Seneca County Museum’s advisory board. The funds will enable the board to develop goals for the revived museum. The project will help build support for the museum in the community and connect the museum’s leadership to resources available from state-wide and national professional organizations.
- University of Akron, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies (Akron) received $12,500 to conduct a study to analyze Hopewell period pre-historic ceramic and stone artifacts. The study will provide a better understanding of the world in which the Hopewell people lived. The results will generate new educational materials and exhibits at museums and sites that interpret Hopewell life. The project also supports the nomination of the Hopewell sites in Ohio for World Heritage status.
- Westcott House Foundation (Springfield) received $15,000 to repair the house’s sleeping porches and pergola. The project will preserve and continue to make accessible original structures on a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Westcott House is Wright’s only Prairie style house in Ohio and is a crucial link to understand his development of a uniquely American style of architecture.
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Ohio History Fund
The Ohio History Fund creates grants to help support local history and preservation-related projects in communities throughout Ohio. It’s funded by Ohio taxpayers that select “Ohio History Fund” as a donation fund on their state tax returns. For more information about the History Fund grant program and how to apply for grants, visit ohiohistory.org/historyfund.
Ohio History Connection
The Ohio History Connection, formerly the Ohio Historical Society, is a statewide history organization with the mission to spark discovery of Ohio’s stories. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization chartered in 1885, the Ohio History Connection carries out history services for Ohio and its citizens focused on preserving and sharing the state’s history. This includes housing the state historic preservation office, the official state archives, local history office and managing more than 50 historic sites and museums across Ohio.
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