Arkansas
Randolph County African American Community Heritage Preservation
The Eddie Mae Herron Center will enhance and strengthen the exhibit of African American settlement and heritage in Randolph County, Arkansas through the use of new display cases and professionally created exhibits. These will all combine to present a strategic narrative and timeline of the hidden story of African American settlement and life in Randolph County.
Funding: $9,355.00
Organization: Eddie Mae Herron Center
Women of the Ozark Frontier, Tales of Achievements and Exploits in the Buffalo River Country
This project will conduct research and collect information about achievements and exploits of women from the Buffalo River counties between 1800 and World War II. From these findings, the Buffalo River Community Development Corporation will create an exhibit at the Buffalo River Historic Jail and Museum and self-publish a book with the information.
Funding: $2,280.00
Organization: Buffalo River Community Development Corporation
Louisiana
BLACK SQUARE BICENTENNIAL New Orleans St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 Ethnographic Project
LMAAH will advance a new approach to history education through the creation, support, and presentation of interdisciplinary performance works, visual art exhibitions, and historical walking tours that illuminate the history, peoples, and cultures of New Orleans and Louisiana.
Funding: $25,000.00
Organization: Louisiana Museum of African American History (LMAAH)
Sorapuru House Stabilization
This project will stabilize the 1825 Sorapuru House, which was damaged by Hurricane Ida in 2021. Repairs and drainage improvements are needed to ensure the longevity of this site which tells the story of Free People of Color and was owned by Sorapuru Family for 198 years. A roadside marker will also be installed.
Funding: $25,000.00
Organization: Louisiana Preservation Alliance, Inc.
Missouri
Francois Valle II House Renovation Project Phase 1
François Vallé II was a son of François Vallé, a merchant who served as Ste. Geneviève's commandant (the chief local magistrate under Spanish rule) for a number of years. Only part of his home still survives, but this remaining portion is of considerable significance, having been erected in the distinctive French Creole "vertical timber" style in about 1792-1794. This project will involve repairs to the foundation, a new roof, new siding and windows, some new drywall and ceilings, new HVAC, new electrical wiring and plumbing, as well as removal of multiple trees, and placement of new fencing, gates, and walkways on the grounds. Once the building is renovated, it will house exhibits, one of which would be about the structure itself and the archeology of the site, and another about the Battle of Ft. San Carlos. Because François Vallé II was at the battle, this house is an ideal place for a long-term exhibit on the battle. Living history activities will also take place on the grounds.
Funding: $22,500.00
Organization: French Colonial America
Mississippi
Beulah Cemetery Restoration Project
Beulah Cemetery was created in 1884, as a final resting place for Vicksburg's African American residents. This project will restore the cemetery by cleaning up downed trees, repairing fences, filling in holes from erosion, and cleaning and repairing select headstones.
Funding: $24,900.00
Organization: Vicksburg Tabernacle No 19 Grand United Order of Brothers and Sisters
Exterior Restoration of Wagner's Store
Wagner's Store, located in Church Hill, Mississippi, is one of the last remaining 19th century general stores in the state. The Historic Natchez Foundation has acquired the building and intends to restore it as a visitor center with exhibits to interpret the history of the Church Hill community.
Funding: $24,998.00
Organization: Historic Natchez Foundation
Filming of Duncan Morgan, Third Generation Brick Layer of Natchez, MS
Natchez Brick Mason, Duncan Morgan will be awarded the Thad Cochran Humanities Achievement Award at the 35th Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration. This project will conduct a series of interviews with Mr. Morgan. These interviews along with video footage will record the story of Morgan's eight decades of preservation work starting as a boy at age 12 with his grandfather. Since he is unable to attend the award ceremony, this film will be shown to honor his lifetime of expertise in the preservation of historic structures in Natchez, MS.
Funding: $795.00
Organization: Copiah-Lincoln Community College
L.V. Hull Home & Studio Stabilization
Stabilization and rehabilitation of the L.V. Hull Home & Studio – recently included on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list – will be a transformational step in making the home publicly accessible as part of the forthcoming L.V. Hull Legacy Center in Kosciusko, MS. This project will include demo and waste disposal, foundation pier repair, sill beam replacement, and a new roof. Self-proclaimed as the "Unusual Artist," Hull (1942–2008) merged artmaking and the Southern Art of Visiting to transform her home into an art environment that attracted pilgrims from around the world. Once this project is complete, the home will tell an overlooked story of the radical possibilities available to an African American woman in the South who claimed the space to pursue her full creative powers.
Funding: $25,000.00
Organization: Keysmith Foundation
St Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church Historic Marker
The St Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church historical marker will preserve and promote the rich history of the only African American Catholic Church in the Gulfport area. This visible tribute will further enlighten visitors on the valuable religious, cultural, educational and historic contributions made by the Josephites, Sisters of the Blessed, and parishioners.
Funding: $2,816.00
Organization: St Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church
Tennessee
Using Geoarchaeology to Create Contemporary Narratives about Pinson Mounds
This project will work with contemporary Indigenous nations to refocus the public narrative about the past at Pinson Mounds state park in West Tennessee. Using new geoarchaeological information, this project will emphasize information showing the deep time connection to remaking the Pinson landscape. This kind of long-term narrative about the use of Pinson could help replace older narratives that emphasize mortuary practices that contemporary Indigenous nations find distasteful. Moreover, tribal nations will have input on the results and help build a new narrative around this new geoarchaeological research at Pinson Mounds.
Funding: $24,137.00
Organization: Colorado State University
Last updated: November 8, 2023