The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is pleased to announce the selected projects for the 2024-2025 Keystone Grant program. The grant program again saw a 6% increase in the number of applications over last year with requests over $6,510,000. It is gratifying to know that the program serves our partners well and can react to serve their needs. The grant program is just one of the PA-SHPO’s tool to support both planning initiatives and capital projects at historic sites throughout Pennsylvania.

This year’s awardees include 37 projects that include restoration at a market house, historic barn, historic theaters and a county courthouse. The selected projects highlight the varied historic resources that local communities value in their everyday lives and feel should be preserved for future generations.

These grantees fulfill much of the  in Historic Preservation: the Keystone of Community, Pennsylvania’s Statewide Historic Preservation Plan.  This year’s recipients highlight projects that preserve character-defining features, improve visitor experience at historic museums, return properties to period-appropriate appearance or document properties within the National Register program or within our PA-SHARE system.

PHMC will promote these projects that align with 2026’s Semiquincentennial celebrations. PHMC wanted to focus the Keystone Grants to those who are also excited about this opportunity.  Our blog post entitled America250 and the Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Program provided a bit more insight to the effort.  It was exciting to read about how our partners will share their history, from the colonial era to the modern age as part of America250. Let the party begin!

Here are descriptions of some of the projects from a select few of this year’s funded applications:

Borough of Leetsdale (Allegheny County) will undertake a Historic Resource Survey to collect data on Leetsdale’s above-ground resources, create a geodatabase, and prepare a report with recommendations for historic preservation strategy. The project will help develop Leetsdale’s first ever historic preservation ordinance, update the eligibility of its resources in the National Register of Historic Places, and spearhead historic and cultural outreach programming, with the goal of qualifying the borough for the CLG designation.

County of Bucks (Tinicum Township, Bucks County) will restore the Stover barns (1976RE00043), constructed circa 1860. These structures are significant examples of rural agricultural outbuildings that while no longer in active farm production are preserved for public tours and community events. The character-defining cupola on the main Stover bank barn urgently needs repair and the adjacent hay barn needs timber framing repair at the sills and floor level as well as building envelope repairs.

Large three-story wood and stone barn with two story wood building at a right angle to the back corner.

Stover Barns, looking west with bank barn at right and hay barn ell at left. Photograph by Bucks County Parks and Recreation Department.

Franklin County Historical Society – Kittochtinny (Chambersburg, Franklin County) will install a new climate control system in the 1881 Cellblock of the old Chambersburg Jail (1970RE00028), stabilizing temperature and humidity to preserve historic buildings and collections and advance the interpretation of the stories of Franklin County, especially marginalized and justice-related narratives. This project serves three core tasks: protecting fragile artifacts; preserving a historic structure including writings and artwork etched in the walls; and creating a more visitor-friendly exhibit space.

Large two-story brick building with center door with four window bays to each side and a roof with three chimneys and an enclosed cupola.

Franklin County Jail. Photographs by Franklin County Historical Society.

Small, narrow room with dirt floor, stucco/plaster-covered walls and arched ceiling, and a small window high on the back wall.

Franklin County Jail cell that retains historic graffiti. Photographs by Franklin County Historical Society.

Morgan Log House (Towamencin Township, Montgomery County) will prepare a comprehensive Preservation Assessment of its 1.72-acre property, 1770s Germanic log house (1967RE00001), a 1930s silo, and our collection storage. The assessment will address the effects of climate change, safeguard the property’s integrity, and prepare for two landmark celebrations: the United States Semiquincentennial and the 50th anniversary of the site.

Warren County Historical Society (Warren, Warren County) continues restoration of the historic Wetmore House (1974RE00034). Implementing the 2010 building assessment and preservation plan that listed repairs and restoration for stewardship of its 152-year-old structure, the society will focus on the eaves, trim, cornices, and dormer windows of the north and east mansard roofs.

Decorative hexagonal slate shingles on the sides of a roof over a brick building.

Wetmore House, east elevation mansard roof. Photograph by Warren County Historical Society.

Grantees will start their projects by late Summer, just in time to kick-off the Semiquincentennial celebrations next year.  We are excited to celebrate with these organizations and municipalities to share their unique history with all Pennsylvanians.

Sign with a logo and the words Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Project.

Keystone Project Sign for 2025

Keep an eye out in your social media feeds for more information about these and other Keystone funded projects in your communities.  Be sure to review the whole list of this year’s recipients here on PHMC’s website .  Congratulations to this year’s recipients!

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