Governor Douglas Announces 2008 Barn Preservation Grants



State awards $209,000 to preserve historic landmarks on Vermont farms

WAITSFIELD - Governor Jim Douglas on Monday announced nearly $209,000 in Historic Preservation Barn Grants that will be awarded to 23 farms to help preserve these iconic structures.

Standing before a barn at the historic Von Trapp Dairy Farm that will receive a new roof courtesy of a $10,000 grant, the Governor noted that the program benefited two of Vermont's most important industries, agriculture and tourism.

"Martin and Kelly von Trapp and other owners of barns in rural Vermont should be praised for their commitment to repairing historic barns so they can continue as parts of our working landscape," Governor Douglas said. "I am very pleased that the state can assist them in preserving these magnificent structures for future generations."

The grant program, administered by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, provides owners of agricultural buildings with matching funding of up to $10,000 for a variety of capital repairs. Eligible projects include repairs to roofs, foundations, walls, sills and overall stabilization. more

The small state of Vermont boasts a rich and rewarding historical heritage. Today, that history is well preserved in an exceptional collection of state-owned historic sites stretching the length of the state. Ranging from precontact encampments, to pivotal Revolutionary War sites, to the private homesteads of U.S. presidents, Vermont's historic sites chronicle the development of a state, its people and the nation around it.