October 2024 - American Heritage Partners Announces Grant to
the Oregon-California Trails Association
Continuing its commitment to support organizations dedicated to historic preservation, this month American Heritage Partners is pleased to announce a grant of $2,500* to the Oregon-California Trails Association (“OCTA”). Headquartered in Independence, Missouri, OCTA has chapters throughout the country whose members are dedicated to preserving and protecting the extensive system of trails that the pioneers traveled during the era of Western migration in the 19th century. OCTA also has devoted major resources to locating, conserving and digitizing an extensive collection of pioneer records, including thousands of pioneer diaries that provide first-person accounts of their often treacherous journeys across the Great Plains, the Rockies Mountains, and points west. The stories told by these pioneers are sometimes heart-warming, sometime gut-wrenching, but always touching. In addition to its preservation efforts, OCTA also sponsors a wide variety of educational programs, including virtual lectures and other online content. “AHP hopes that this grant will encourage others to give,” says AHP President Jay Dickey. “OCTA has accomplished so much, but the Oregon, California and Santa Fe trails continue to be threatened by construction projects and other environmental threats; it’s a race against time.” OCTA’s Association Manager, Travis Boley, comments, “this grant will allow us to begin the process of digitizing the David Hopper collection of about 4,000 trail diaries, including 1,900 from the year 1849 alone. We thank American Heritage Partners for helping us to ensure that we can present these diaries to anyone with an internet connection.”
AHP is honored to support OCTA in its ongoing efforts to preserve and protect the history of the American West in all its forms.
* A matching grant of $2,500 is also being awarded, for a total grant to OCTA of $5,000.
September 2024 - American Heritage Partners Announces Grant to Jamestown Rediscovery
A grant of $2,500 was given to Virginia-based Jamestown Rediscovery, which for decades has been engaged in archaeological excavations at the site of America’s first permanent English settlement at Jamestown. Jamestown Rediscovery’s efforts have led to the discovery of literally millions of artifacts, which collectively shed light on the life and times of the early settlers who came to Virginia beginning in 1607. Jamestown Rediscovery’s work also includes extensive conservation efforts to preserve and protect these artifacts, and to reconstruct certain of the structures that have been uncovered at the site during its digs. Supporting Jamestown Rediscovery is critically important today, as the James River and environs is increasingly subject to the adverse effects of climate change, and Jamestown itself has become one of the most threatened historic sites in America. “AHP hopes that this grant will encourage others to give,” says AHP President Jay Dickey. “Jamestown Rediscovery’s archaeological work has been massively successful, but it needs further funding to fulfill its goals.” Jamestown Rediscovery’s President Dr. James Horn comments, “I am most grateful for American Heritage Partners for its support of our mission to preserve and protect one of the most important archaeological sites in our nation.”
September 2024 - American Heritage Partners Announces Grant to the New Netherlands Institute
A grant of $2,500* has been given to the New Netherland Institute (“NNI”), which has been carrying out major projects to preserve the earliest historical records of the Dutch colony of New Netherland in the 17th century, and to digitize and transcribe those records and make them available to the public. NNI also hosts education programs and activities that tell the story of New Netherland in colorful and compelling ways. This year marks the 400th anniversary of the first Dutch settlement in North America at Ft. Orange on the Hudson River (now Albany, New York). AHP believes this is an appropriate time to honor the legacy of those early Dutch settlers by making its first grant to NNI. Says AHP President Dickey, “NNI’s work over the years has been truly extraordinary. AHP is earmarking this grant to help fund NNI’s newest project, a massive effort to conserve, digitize and translate the Van Rensselaer Manor Papers. This critically important project will take many years to complete, and will require significant ongoing financial support. We are proud to be among the first non-profits to offer its financial help, and to partner with NNI in this new endeavor.” Deborah Hamer, Director of NNI, adds, “we appreciate the support of American Heritage Partners, whose generous donation will help us carry out our mission of historic preservation of the records of New Netherland, the Van Rensselaer Manor Papers in particular. We look forward to collaborating with AHP on this and other special projects.”
* A matching grant of $2,500 is also being awarded, for a total grant to NNI of $5,000.