State announces grants to preserve historic barns, cemeteries

OLYMPIA — The Washington Trust has announced 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 state Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation.

The deadline to submit applications for both grant programs is Wednesday, Oct. 23.

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, which administers both grant programs, will host free workshops. Officials will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the process for completing application documents.

A free workshop is set for 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.

The Heritage Barn Initiative established the Heritage Barn Register in 2007, a statewide list of historically significant barns. Owners of designated Heritage Barns are once again eligible to apply for matching grants available to assist with barn stabilization and rehabilitation projects.

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.