Development of an interpretive plan for the historic house and studio of western artist Charles M. Russell (1864–1926).

The C.M. Russell Museum requests a $40,000 Historic Places Planning Grant to develop an interpretive plan for the Charles M. Russell House and Studio. The structures, occupied from 1900 to 1926 by famed artist of the American West Charles Marion Russell and his wife and business manager Nancy Russell, are undergoing conservation, with the studio to be finished by March 2017 and work on the house to begin immediately after. The grant would fund consultation with prominent historians of art, the American West, and Plains Indians, and the testing of interpretive content and formats before all conservation work is completed in 2018. The Russell story will be presented in the broader context of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period of dynamic change that saw the passing of the Old West. Multiple formats and approaches to the site interpretation will be considered, including ways to create immersive environments in which visitors step into history as active participants.

Development of a new interpretive plan and educational materials for Old Sturbridge Village to mark the site’s seventy-fifth anniversary in 2021.

Old Sturbridge Village respectfully requests a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support the development of a new Interpretation and Education Plan. Old Sturbridge Village, located in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, is one of the nation’s oldest living history museums and has depicted 19th century rural New England life through costumed interpreters, historic homes, curatorial exhibitions, and educational offerings to an audience of more than 21 million visitors since opening in 1946. The Village’s training and resource materials have not been comprehensively reviewed or significantly revised since the 1970s. Throughout this project the Village will work with scholars, consultants, and partnering institutions to develop a new Interpretation and Education Plan that creates impactful visitor experiences, connects with a modern audience, and better reflects the diversity of our community both past and present.

Development of a site interpretive plan exploring the impact of Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith on the Underground Railroad in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the Reconstruction Amendments.

To celebrate the significant contributions of Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, LancasterHistory.org (formerly known as the Lancaster County Historical Society) will undertake a project to restore the home and law office of Congressman Stevens as well as to create an adjacent interpretive museum that will celebrate the legacy of Lydia Hamilton Smith, confidante to Mr. Stevens, and tell the extensive story of the Underground Railroad in Lancaster County. The overall site will situate Mr. Stevens' political and personal contributions, including his dedication to the causes of emancipation, education, and civil rights, within the broader context of 19th-century America and the unique situation of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A planning grant will provide resources for us to carefully construct an interpretive plan that will share the legacy of Mr. Stevens with the world while engaging citizens of and visitors to Lancaster in meaningful dialogue about issues of civil rights and civic literacy.

Planning for a new interpretive plan and public programs at the home of poet Emily Dickinson (1830–86).

The Emily Dickinson Museum (EDM) seeks funding of $63,025 through the NEH public humanities projects grant for historic places at the planning level. Having achieved major master plan goals in its 15-year history, the EDM is now focused on uniting its historic spaces, collections, and narratives to serve a growing contemporary audience. A new mission, completed infrastructure work, and past and impending restoration all highlight the stark need for an interpretive plan. The planning process will incorporate current scholarship to revise the EDM interpretation goals, themes, and methods. This grant will result in a written plan that considers multiple approaches and methods and takes an inclusive approach to audience engagement.

Planning a new exhibition and three new tours exploring the lasting impact of the Declaration of Independence and its founding principles of freedom and equality.

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation (TJF), which owns and operates Monticello, Jefferson’s plantation home and UNESCO World Heritage Site, seeks a $75,000 Historic Places Planning Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support the development of a new, innovative interpretative plan for the visitor experience at Monticello - centered on the themes of freedom and equality enshrined in the Declaration of Independence - to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

Development of five walking path tours and an educational visitor center to interpret the historical relationship between people and the environment in Vermont.

The Retreat Farm, in Brattleboro, Vermont, is developing a new outdoor museum employing a humanities approach to connect, teach and enrich public understanding of Vermont’s iconic landscape as a microcosm of our human place on the earth. Five thematic walking paths will tell stories of landscape change on this ground over time, while a culminating landscape learning center extracts the lessons of environmental degradation and redemption. This historic and strategic site is exceptionally rich in stories of indigenous peoples, international warfare, New England settlement, natural healing, and agricultural history. Our plan is to use the power of the humanities to instill a deeper understanding of the worlds we build around us.

Planning for a historical interpretation of the home of civil rights activist Golden Frinks (1920–2004) in Edenton, North Carolina.

The Edenton State Historic Site, part of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, seeks a $74,415.00 Public Humanities planning grant to develop a thorough approach for a successful interpretive project that discusses the Civil Rights Movement at the home of activist Golden Frinks (1920-2004) in Edenton, North Carolina. The resulting exhibition plan will have multiple layers of diverse audiences, careful and respectful attention to detail, and using a variety of exhibition formats blended with a traditional furnishing plan featuring artifacts, images, and documents from Frinks’ life and work. We are planning to host several community listening sessions to seek input and information from veterans of the Civil Rights Movement as well as the resident community to create a plan to interpret the house in the most sensitive, forthright, and honest way possible. Project work will include consultation with an exhibit design firm and staff training.

A planning grant to reinterpret the colonial Old North Church in Boston and its congregation’s ties to slavery from the American Revolution to the Civil War.

Old North Church & Historic Site requests a Historic Places planning grant in the amount of $75,000 to support 1) a campus-wide interpretive plan that traces the theme of active citizenship from the church’s founding in 1723 to present day, including the seminal story of Paul Revere as well as other examples of civic engagement; 2) a second thematic component of the interpretive plan will include exploration of the paradoxical truth of Old North’s complicated history with slavery; and 3) as part of the plan, the design of an outdoor exhibit that weaves together these themes through a critical examination of Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride,” a poem and story that is familiar to many of our guests.