In March, three southwestern Pennsylvania museums were presented a sum of $17,800 from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to support operating costs. The grants were given to the Washington County Historical Society, the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, and the Greene County Historical Society. The funds came from the museum commission’s Cultural and Historical Support Grant Program, which currently serves 121 organizations across Pennsylvania.
The Washington County Historical Society is home to the LeMoyne House. The house was built in the early 1800s by John Julius LeMoyne, who was the father of Francis Julian LeMoyne–both of whom were physicians. However, it was Francis Julian who risked his freedom, and his life, by acting against the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 and taking a stand against slavery.
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is an establishment which communicates the story of Pennsylvania’s Trolley Era through the preservation, clarification, and use of its collection of electric railway and railroad equipment, related artifacts, and photo and document archives. With a mission that began in 1940, it is clear this museum and its staff are dedicated to educating visitors about the railways of Pennsylvania.
The original goal of the Greene County Historical Society, which was awarded an official Certificate of Incorporation on November 15, 1925, was to collect and preserve books, articles, and records detailing the history of Greene County. It began as a one room operation in the Long Building, yet, as the collection grew, they purchased a connecting room, in 1956, and the society continued to grow.
The Washington and Greene County Historical Societies each received $4,000, while the Trolley Museum received $9,807. Scott Becker, executive director of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, said the state has one of the highest concentrations of museums in the country.
Clay Kilgore, executive director of the Washington County Historical Society, says it makes sense for museums to receive public funding. “It’s the public’s history, it’s their museum,” Kilgore said. “It’s there for them. It’s there so they can come see what their history is, they can see who they are, who their ancestors were and what makes them what they are today.”
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum has an annual operating budget of $550,000, according to Becker, while Kilgore says the Washington County Historical Society runs on about $108,000 per year. The trolley museum attracted 30,000 visitors last year, according to Becker.
Senator Camera Bartolotta (R-Washington/ Greene) said supporting museums increases tourist traffic to Pennsylvania.
“These are facilities that really benefit the communities they’re in and really do draw a lot of attention, not just from the people that live in those communities but from people outside the area,” Bartolotta said.
Kilgore said the Washington County Historical Society will use the money to maintain the Francis J. LeMoyne House, which was built in 1812 and was used as part of the Underground Railroad to free black slaves before the Civil War.
The grants will, no doubt, help these organizations achieve their objectives to preserve their histories and educate visitors of the rich Pennsylvania history.
From: 90.5 WESA