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State Historical Society awards five historic preservation grants

Historic preservation projects in Custer, Faulkton, Mitchell, St. Onge and Yankton have received matching grants from the South Dakota State Historical Society.

“2018 is the 21st year for this historic preservation grants program,” said Jay D. Vogt, director of the State Historical Society. “In 2017 we awarded $123,869 between 10 projects which had matching funds of $292,993. The resulting total public-private investment is $416,862. This program is designed to encourage restoration or rehabilitation of historic properties and is one more way we can promote and protect our history and culture.”

The grants are awarded through the State Historical Society’s Deadwood Fund grant program. Funding for the program is from Deadwood gaming revenue earmarked by state law for historic preservation projects throughout the state. The program is administered by the society’s State Historic Preservation Office at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

The following projects were the most recent to receive grants to supplement their work:

Custer: 1881 Courthouse Museum, built in 1880, a $15,000 grant was awarded for foundation repair and stabilization along with exterior rehabilitation, which includes the columns and balustrade on the porticos;

Faulkton: Pickler Mansion, built in 1882-1894, received $20,000 for continued stabilization by repairing beams and floor joists;

Mitchell: Mitchell National Bank, built in 1907, received $10,000 for roof repair;

St. Onge: Anderson-Ridley Barn, built in 1902, received $5,540 to repoint the barn walls;

Yankton: United Church of Christ, built about 1890, received $10,000 for stained glass window repair.

These new recipients represent a total award amount of $60,540 and matching funds of $135,495. The total public-private investment is $196,035. These figures are reflected in the 2017 statistics above.

Deadwood Fund grants are awarded twice a year with grant application deadlines of Feb. 1 and Oct. 1. They are reviewed at the spring and winter meetings of the State Historical Society’s board of trustees. For more information on the Deadwood Fund grant program, contact the State Historic Preservation Office at the Cultural Heritage Center, 900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501-2217; telephone (605) 773-3458; or website history.sd.gov/Preservation.

About the South Dakota State Historical Society
The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Education. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit www.history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.