The Washington Trust announced last week that funding is available for two statewide grant programs: Heritage Barn Grants and Historic Cemetery Grants.
This will be the seventh round of grant funding available for owners of historic barns and the second round of grant funding for those with stewardship responsibilities over historic cemeteries.
About $900,000 is available to be granted through both programs; $450,000 for each. Both initiatives are programs of the Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation.
The deadline to submit applications for both grant programs is Wednesday, Oct. 23.
Statewide workshops
The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation administers both grant programs will be hosting free workshops throughout the state for anyone wishing to learn more about both the Heritage Barn Initiative and the Historic Cemetery Preservation Program. The Washington Trust will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the process for completing application documents.
A free workshop is set for Thursday, Sept. 5, in the Carver Room at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody. St. The workshop begins at 6 p.m. with the first hour about the Historic Cemetery Grants and the second hour (7-8 p.m.) about the Heritage Barn Grants.
Preserving local barns
The Heritage Barn Initiative established the Heritage Barn Register in 2007, a statewide list of historically significant barns, and owners of designated Heritage Barns are once again eligible to apply for matching grants available to assist with barn stabilization and rehabilitation projects.
At least two Sequim-area barns — the Eberle Farm in the 2015-2017 biennium and the Lavender Connection barn in 2017-2019 — recently received funding through the state program.
The Historic Cemetery Preservation Program is intended to honor veterans and support the ongoing preservation of historic cemeteries through funding for capital projects.
For more about the Heritage Barn Grants program, contact Jennifer Mortensen at 206-462-2999 or jmortensen@preservewa.org. For more about the Historic Cemetery Grants program, contact Julianne Patterson at 206-535-1044 or jpatterson@preservewa.org.
