Shusterman applauds historical grants for Chester County

HARRISBURG, Dec. 13 – The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission has awarded more than $44,000 in state grants to historical societies and museums across Chester County, state Rep. Melissa Shusterman announced today.

The grants fund projects designed to improve the preservation and accessibility of historically significant records maintained by local governments, historical societies and academic institutions.

Awarded were:

  • Chester County Historical Society - $16,956.
  • Historic Yellow Springs - $10,454.
  • Wharton Esherick Museum - $7,789.
  • Graystone Society Inc. - $6,231.
  • Historic Sugartown Inc. - $4,000.

“Congratulations to all of the recipients who advocated for this statewide funding,” said Shusterman, D-Chester. “Not only do the awards reflect highly on the organizations themselves, but the investment also greatly benefits residents all across the county, because our shared cultural heritage is something we all know is precious.

“Tourism created by these historic sites is a lifeblood for our communities and significant for all of Pennsylvania. Thank you to the Wolf administration for recognizing our region as a premier place to invest.”

All told, PHMC awarded almost $2 million in Cultural and Historical Support Grants to 161 eligible museums and official county historical societies from 56 Pennsylvania counties. In addition, PHMC awarded $200,000 in Historical and Archival Records Care Grants to 37 organizations in 20 Pennsylvania counties.

Shusterman, who served on the House Tourism Committee last session and hopes to be reassigned to it in the new session, said that she encourages any historical organization in the district to contact her office for help applying for state programs that help fund historical initiatives.