Brattleboro Selectboard Chair Stephen Steidle traveled to Washington D.C. on Thursday, March 9, to receive a $32,500 grant awarded to the Town of Brattleboro.
The grant is from the "Preserve America" program, a White House initiative launched in 2003 to support preservation efforts through heritage tourism, education and historic preservation planning.
Brattleboro's grant will help Estey Organ Museum organizers create a master plan for the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Estey Organ complex as a heritage tourism destination. The Estey Organ Museum will be a central attraction, showcasing Brattleboro's national industrial heritage.
"This grant enables us to take a big step forward toward the creation of a interactive museum dedicated to the history of Brattleboro and one of its largest manufacturers." says Christopher Grotke, president of the Estey Organ Museum. "We are honored that the town's first Preserve America grant will be used to plan this project." The Estey Organ Museum recently purchased the Engine House as the first of many buildings in the Estey factory complex, and is committed to preserving the historic buildings.
Only 47 Preserve America awards were made nationwide. First Lady Laura Bush and Secretary of the Interior Gayle Norton presented the awards.
Brattleboro applied for designation as a "Preserve America" community last summer in order to be eligible for federal assistance in local revitalization efforts. This federal recognition is reserved for those communities that protect and celebrate their heritage, use their historic assets for economic development and community revitalization, and encourage people to experience and appreciate local historic resources. Significant economic, educational and cultural benefits flow to communities that recognize the role that historic preservation can play in their revitalization efforts.