Area history organizations receive thousands in grant dollars from state commission

Joshua Byers, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Dec. 7—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Several area historical societies, associations and museums received more than $71,000 combined from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to help support operations and grow community.

The largest contributions went to the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, which received $15,708, and Fort Ligonier Association, which got $14,271.

Grants of $4,000 were awarded to the Cambria County Historical Society; Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County Inc.; Indiana County's James M. Stewart Museum Foundation; Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County; Old Bedford Village Inc.; Blair County Historical Society; Westmoreland County Historical Society; and Ligonier Valley Historical Society.

The Westmoreland Fayette Historical Society was awarded $4,500 and the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Blair County received $5,000.

"These dollars are vital to non-profit organizations, such as Fort Ligonier," association director of marketing and public relations Julie Donovan said. "It's so important because it allows us to attract more students and more visitors to Fort Ligonier and expose them to this world-class site and museum."

The roughly $14,000 the group received will go toward salary and wages of the education department staff who handle field trips.

Donovan said each year the historic site welcomes approximately 7,000 school students, from kindergarten to graduate level.

These allocations were part of nearly $2 million handed out by the PHMC through the Cultural and Historical Support Grant program.

That initiative's goal 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," according to a release.

Award amounts are determined by an equation that's based on a percentage of the eligible museum's operating budget from the previous year.

Cultural and Historical Support grants went to 161 museums and county historical societies in 56 counties.

Alexandria Kaelin, curator of the Cambria County Historical Society, said the $4,000 that group received goes back into the organization, whether to help fund her employment — she's the only paid employee — or for upkeep of the Ebensburg facility and utilities.

Being a donation-driven non-profit, such funding helps a lot, Kaelin said.

The commission awarded $200,000 in Historical and Archival Records Care grants to 37 organizations in 20 Pennsylvania counties as well.

Those dollars "fund projects designed to improve the preservation and accessibility of historically significant records maintained by local governments, historical societies and academic institutions" and are awarded based on a competitive review of applications by a Pennsylvania State Historical Records Advisory Board subcommittee.

Locally, Blair County, the Indiana County Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts, and Seton Hill University in Westmoreland County each got $5,000.