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NEH grants to battle flags, Montauk projects
The State Historical Society of Iowa’s efforts to preserve Iowa’s Spanish-American War battle flags and former Iowa Governor William Larrabee’s historic documents have received nearly $10,000 in grant funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
SHSI received a $5,000 grant to help purchase cabinets to store Iowa’s
Spanish-American War battle flags, which are housed in display cases in the Capitol.
SHSI staff plan to transfer the flags this spring to the State Historical Building,
where they will join more than 200 Iowa Civil War battle flags waiting to be stabilized,
preserved and prepared for public display. The flags have suffered damage from
exposure to smoke and sunlight, and the grant will help speed up the transfer
process.
The
second grant, $4,953, was awarded to a SHSI project at Montauk
Historic Governor’s Home. Built in 1874, the Clermont, Iowa mansion
was home to Larrabee and his family. It is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places and is designated as a State Preserve. The grant will be used
to purchase storage shelving and preservation supplies to re-house papers and
manuscripts.
“The humanities convey the story of civilization, and the NEH grants we
received will play a large part in helping us preserve valuable historic artifacts
for generations of Iowans to study for years to come,” Iowa Department of
Cultural Affairs Director Anita Walker said. “We are delighted and thankful
to the NEH for choosing to support these projects.”
