New federal grant funds will help position the Deep River Historical Society (DRHS) to raise funds for much needed capital improvements and support a new position for the final phase of a major project at the Essex Historical Society (EHS).

The grant funds were awarded by Connecticut Humanities (CTH), a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The funding was provided by NEH through the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) program.

A total of $640,192 in grant funding from this program was awarded to 69 nonprofit organization throughout the state, according to a written statement from CTH. DRHS received $10,000 and EHS received $9,620.

Deep River Historical Society

DRHS Curator Rhonda Forristall said the pandemic has stalled fundraising efforts for major projects such as replacing the 30-year roof on the Stone House Museum, replacing the siding on the Carriage House, and restoring the historic Bleach House, among others.

“There are these major issues, infrastructure issues that DRHS is facing, and we are very much behind because of these two years of the pandemic,” said Forristall. “This $10,000 is going to help us to reach out to a professional who will help us to strategize how to best fundraise.”

The society plans to conduct one major fundraising campaign for all of its capital projects.

“If we don’t have a roof on the Stone House, we don’t have a museum,” said Forristall, adding that without a roof, “we are not taking care of all of the wonderful things inside. So, the infrastructure is vital to us continuing.”

Now that the funds have been awarded, the next step in the process is to form a committee, said Forristall, which will help review and interview a list of professional fundraising candidates.

Essex Historical Society

EHS plans to use its SHARP grant funds, in part, to support a new membership and programs coordinator position. This individual will help implement the final phase of EHS’s Follow the Falls project, which is done in collaboration with the Essex Land Trust.

The village of Ivoryton is now a focus of the multi-year Follow the Falls project, according to EHS Director Melissa Josefiak in an email. EHS has already completed the project’s first two phases, which delved into the historical relationship of the Falls River with the villages of Centerbrook and Essex.

“Ivoryton village’s story is one of diversity, from the documented sites used by indigenous peoples to the impacts of African slavery as a result of the ivory trade and the development of ethnic neighborhoods surrounding the factory complex,” said Josefiak. “This phase has the opportunity to address the town’s historic diversity in ways that we could not in the previous two phases.”

Online and print publications, as well as brief oral histories, will be a part of the society’s public offerings for this phase of the project, according to Josefiak.

“Through these materials, EHS will reach a broad audience of lifelong learners, historians, educators, students, and the public at large,” she said.

Work on the final phase of the project is anticipated to be completed in 2023.