The Marengo County History and Archives Museum has been awarded a $2,500 grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation from Gwyn Turner Preservation Fund for Alabama. The seed grant funds will be used to hire a fundraising consultant.

The Marengo County History and Archives Museum is a nonprofit organization and is seeking to create a state-of-the-art public museum at the Rosenbush Building. The museum’s budget is $1.2 million, which includes renovation and restoration of the Rosenbush Building. It will eventually be the home of a public museum and archive.

“Without organizations like the Marengo County History and Archives Museum, communities and towns all across America would have a diminished sense of place,” said Stephanie Meeks, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “The National Trust for Historic Preservation is honored to provide a grant to the Marengo County History and Archives Museum, which will use the funds to help preserve an important piece of our shared heritage.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation dispenses small grants for local projects through the National Trust Preservation Funds grant program. The grants range from $500 to $5,000 and have provided over $5.5 million dollars of funding since 2002. They are awarded to nonprofit groups, educational institutions and public agencies, and must be matched, at least dollar for dollar, with public or private funds.

Preservation Funds grants are being used nationally for such wide-ranging activities as consultant services for rehabilitating buildings, technical assistance for tourism that promotes historic resources and education children about their heritage. These grants are often the deciding factor on whether historic buildings or sites can be saved for future generations.

The Marengo County History and Archives Museum will tell the story of the history, culture and people of Marengo County and their contributions to society including, but not limited to the Native American, the French, the African American, the Jewish and European communities. The museum will also house artifacts and collections for exhibition and display.