A North Carolina state historic site, one of the earliest places of American Revolutionary War resistance against the British, was recently selected to receive federal preservation grant funding.
Brunswick Town Fort Anderson State Historic Site in Winnabow, N.C., will receive a $500,000 grant through the Semiquincentennial Grant Program commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The program is administered through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF).
Brunswick Town Fort Anderson was one of 17 historic sites from across the nation chosen for the first $7 million round of funding appropriated by Congress.
To prepare for the 250th, the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources identified Brunswick Town Fort Anderson as a prime Revolutionary War-era historic site for the proposed funding.
Grant funds will be used to do important preservation work, including the use of ground penetrating radar survey to identify unmarked graves of colonial residents, preserve known graves still standing, repoint the masonry of St. Philip’s Anglican Church, and preserve the foundational ruins of private residences, a tavern and a courthouse. In addition, grant funds will be used to create three panels that interpret history and help visitors understand why preservation is important. Signage will feature a QR code that links back to a project website with in-depth historical info and links to data, photographs, maps and more on the diverse people that shaped Brunswick Town, including English, Spanish, Africans and American Indians.
The HPF uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf, assisting with a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars, with the intent to mitigate the loss of a nonrenewable resource to benefit the preservation of other irreplaceable resources.
Established in 1977, the HPF is authorized at $150 million per year through 2023 and has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations. Administered by the NPS, HPF funds may be appropriated by Congress to support a variety of historic preservation projects to help preserve the nation’s cultural resources.
This project is supported through the Semiquincentennial Grant Program funded by the Historic Preservation Fund as administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior. For more information about NPS historic preservation programs and grants, please visit nps.gov/stlpg/.
About the National Park Service
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, three science museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 41 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the N.C. Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, and the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.