Grants will be used to stabilize and reinterpret the historic Ironmaster's Mansion at Catoctin Furnace and to upgrade the HVAC system and museum infrastructure in the Museum of the Ironworker
THURMONT, Md., Oct. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society (CFHS) has received two significant grants through the National Park Service's Semiquincentennial grant program to stabilize and reinterpret the historic Ironmaster's Mansion (ca. 1781) at Catoctin Furnace and to upgrade the HVAC system and museum infrastructure in the Museum of the Ironworker. The grant program commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and was created by Congress in 2020. "We are honored to partner with the State of Maryland in careful stewardship of these important places and grateful to the NPS for their support," said CFHS President Elizabeth A. Comer. The projects are supported through the Semiquincentennial Grant Program funded by the Historic Preservation Fund as administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior.
Congress appropriated funding for the Semiquincentennial Grant Program in FY2021 through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). The HPF uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf, assisting with a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars, with the intent to mitigate the loss of a nonrenewable resource to benefit the preservation of other irreplaceable resources.
Established in 1977, the HPF is authorized at $150 million per year through 2023 and has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations. Administered by the NPS, HPF funds may be appropriated by Congress to support a variety of historic preservation projects to help preserve the nation's cultural resources
"National parks and National Park Service programs serve to tell authentic and complete history, provide opportunities for exploring the legacies that impact us today and contribute to healing and understanding," said NPS Director Chuck Sams. "Through the Semiquincentennial Grant Program, we are supporting projects that showcase the many places and stories that contributed to the evolution of the American experience." For more information about NPS historic preservation programs and grants, please visit nps.gov/stlpg/
In 1774, Catoctin Furnace was built by laborers owned (enslaved Africans) or employed by four brothers in order to produce iron from the rich deposits of hematite found in the nearby mountains. The iron furnace at Catoctin played a pivotal role during the industrial revolution in the young United States. Cannonballs fired during the battle of Yorktown were made at the furnace. The furnace industry supported a thriving community, and company houses were established alongside the furnace stack. Throughout the nineteenth century, the furnace produced iron for household and industrial products. After more than 100 years of operation, the Catoctin Furnace ceased production in 1903.
The village of Catoctin Furnace maintains the layout and structures built from 1774 to 1820 with remarkably few modern intrusions. A visitor to Catoctin Furnace is introduced to the historical importance and heritage resources of the area, and experiences the look and feel of an early industrial complex. For the past 50 years, the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Inc. has worked to commemorate, study, preserve, protect, and interpret the historic village located 12 miles north of Frederick on Maryland Route 806 (Catoctin Furnace Road). For more information, call 240-288-7396 or visit http://www.catoctinfurnace.org.
Media Contact
Theresa Donnelly, Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, 240-288-7396, [email protected]
SOURCE Catoctin Furnace Historical Society
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