Putnam County recieves Preserve America grant

Putnam County was recently awarded a federal Preserve America matching grant to foster heritage tourism in Cold Spring. Timed to coincide with the Quadricentennial of Henry Hudson’s 1609 voyage up the Hudson River, the grant will be implemented in partnership with the Putnam County Historical Society & Foundry School Museum (PCHS–FSM). A series of programs, exhibitions, and public outreach initiatives will engage the community in our local history and to draw tourists to our local heritage sites.

Preserve America is a White House initiative developed in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Preserve America goals are to share knowledge about our nation’s past, to strengthen regional identities and local pride, to increase local participation in preserving our country’s irreplaceable cultural and natural heritage assets and to support economic vitality in local communities. In 2004 County Legislator Vincent Tamagna secured a Preserve America Community designation for Putnam. The county was one of the first eight communities in the country to receive this designation. This heritage tourism grant is the third Preserve America grant the county has received; in 2007, funds were secured for the development of an interpretative plan for Scenic Hudson’s West Point Foundry Preserve; in 2008, funds were secured for the restoration of the Grove.

“I am thrilled that another preservation project in Putnam County has been considered historically significant to qualify for the very competitive Preserve America funding. We have the opportunity to protect and share our historical heritage during the Quadricentennial celebration as well as bolstering our local economy with the financial support tourists and visitors will bring to our community,” said Putnam County Legislator Vincent Tamagna. The grant, which totals $82,125, is dependent in part on PCHS raising matching funds, which will be an important part of PCHS’s development efforts in 2009. Grant and matching funds will allow for an exciting slate of projects in 2009, including a Quadricentennial Lecture Series, a monthly program that takes an in-depth look at various aspects of Henry Hudson’s legacy, and a major exhibition about the 19th Century newspaperman, editor, poet and songwriter, George Pope Morris, co-organized with the Boston Athenaeum. To make a donation, please call 845-265-4010 or visit the PCHS website at www.pchs-fsm.org.