Restoration projects in Buncombe and Henderson counties receive federal grant funding totaling $21,500

Two Western North Carolina projects in Buncombe and Henderson counties were each awarded a grant from the 2015 Federal Historic Preservation Fund. Grants were given to 11 projects across the nation with monies totaling $95,050.

The Asheville-Buncombe Historic Resources Commission was awarded $19,000, which will go toward roof repairs at the Smith-McDowell House. A release from the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources explains the project as such:

Working through the City of Asheville, the Smith-McDowell House has been awarded a federal Historic Preservation Fund grant of $19,000 to repair sections of the slate roof as well as recent interior water damage. The Department of the Interior, National Park Service listed the Smith-McDowell House in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The house is believed to be oldest brick structure in Buncombe County and the oldest house in Asheville (c. 1840). Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College will contribute $9,200 in matching funds for the project.

The City of Hendersonville was awarded $2,500, and those funds will be used to hire a consultant to “write a nomination for the National Register of Historic Places for the Berkeley Mills Ballpark,” according to the same release, which details the project further:

The City of Hendersonville has been awarded a federal Historic Preservation Fund grant of $2,500 to hire a consultant to write a nomination for the National Register of Historic Places for the Berkeley Mills Ballpark. The City will contribute $4,000 in matching funds for the project.

Constructed in 1949, the Berkeley Mills Ballpark was the home field of the Berkeley Spinners, the baseball team for Berkeley Mills. Although the Spinners played their final season at the ballpark in 1961, the facility continued to be used by local residents. Hendersonville High School won two state championships on its field and youth baseball leagues continue to play there today. The completion of a National Register nomination will give Hendersonville a complete history of the property and help recognize the importance of it continued preservation. For more information about the National Register of Historic Places, please visit http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/whatis.htm.

More information from the NC Department of Cultural Resources:

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) is pleased to announce support to 11 historic preservation projects in nine counties around the state with awards of $95,050 in federal grants for 2015.

Each year, federal Historic Preservation Fund grants are awarded by the HPO through the National Park Service’s Certified Local Government Program (CLG). This preservation partnership between local, state and national governments focuses on promoting historic preservation at the grassroots level by helping communities to save the irreplaceable historic character of places. The HPO will both monitor and provide technical assistance for each project.

About the Historic Preservation Fund:
The Historic Preservation Fund is a federal matching grant program administered jointly by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the state Historic Preservation Office. Late each fall, the HPO announces the availability of competitive Historic Preservation Fund grants to the 48 local governments in North Carolina that are designated as CLGs by the National Park Service. These local governments have demonstrated a solid commitment to historic preservation which includes establishing a historic preservation commission, enforcing state and local legislation to designate and protect local and historic properties, providing for public participation in the process, and other factors. Additional CLG program information is available at http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/clg.htm.

About the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources:
The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan Kluttz, NCDCR’s mission is improve our state’s quality of life by creating opportunities that promote economic development, stimulate learning, preserve the state’s history and spark creativity to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.

Through arts efforts led by the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony and the N.C. Museum of Art, NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and spurring the economic stimulus engine for our state’s communities. NCDCR’s Divisions of State Archives, Historical Resources, State Historic Sites and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North Carolina’s rich cultural heritage to offer experiences of learning and reflection. NCDCR’s State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state to develop and to offer access to educational resources through traditional and online collections including genealogy and resources for people who are blind and have physical disabilities.

NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state’s creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.