2024 Vermont Preservation Grants Awarded

MACON, Georgia

14 grant recipients announced

The 1772 Foundation, in the fifth year of a partnership with Preservation Trust of Vermont, awarded historic preservation one-for-one matching grants totaling $125,000 to fourteen private nonprofit organizations maintaining historic sites in Vermont. The grants ranged in amount from $1,700 to the maximum grant amount of $10,000, which eleven organizations received.

Grants were provided for exterior work: painting; surface restoration; fire detection/security systems; repairs to/restoration of chimneys, porches, roofs, and windows; repairs to foundations and sills; and masonry repointing. Projects were evaluated by Preservation Trust of Vermont staff, who also will manage the grants. Each grantee was required to have matching funds for its project.

Ethiel Garlington, executive director of The 1772 Foundation, recalled, “Our founder, Stewart Barney Kean, fell in love with historic preservation through the act of restoration. He appreciated the materials and workmanship of historic buildings. More importantly, he recognized the value of maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to ensure historic places survive for the next stewards. These grants exemplify his spirit and love of historic preservation.”

Grant recipients were Aldrich Public Library (Barre); Bellows Falls Historical Society (Frank Adams Grist Mill, Rockingham); The Civic Standard (Gazette Building, Hardwick); Danville Vermont Historical Society (Old North Church, North Danville); Friends of Hildene, Inc. (Manchester); The Landmark Trust USA (Naulakha, Dummerston); Maclure Library Association (Walker Memorial Building, Pittsford); Maquam Bay of Missisquoi (Abenaki Headquarters and Food Pantry, Swanton); The Norman Williams Public Library (Woodstock); Norwich Community Collaborative (Norwich Grange Hall, Norwich); Park-McCullough (Governor’s Mansion, North Bennington); Rochester Community Care Home, Inc. (Park House, Rochester); St. Johnsbury Athenaeum (St. Johnsbury); and Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (East Monitor Barn, Richmond). Grants were also awarded in each of the other five New England states and in Georgia.

President of The 1772 Foundation Margaret Waldock, commenting on the importance of the matching grants, said, "These bricks and mortar grants across New England and Georgia prove that small investments can have transformational results. Our statewide partners continue to demonstrate the power of historic preservation in communities in seven states. We are in awe of their work and the work of the grantees saving these fascinating places.”