Morven Museum & Garden Awarded Grants including National Trust for Historic Preservation,NJ Council for the Humanities, and NJ Historic Trust Awards

PRINCETON, N.J. - Oct. 31, 2021 - PRLog -- -- "Morven is entering an exciting phase as we prepare to further research the history and genealogy of the men, women and children who were enslaved here, with thanks in part to a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation through the National Trust Preservation Fund," Morven Museum & Garden's Executive Director Jill Barry announced recently. "In addition, we are extremely grateful to be one of the recipients of a significant operating grant awarded by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, enabling Morven staff to continue with our important work; and an important grant of over $50,000 from the New Jersey Historic Trust, which along with individual gifts from our supporters, will repair Morven's iconic front fence."

Competing against preservation projects from across the country, The National Trust for Historic Preservation award, coupled with donations from private individuals, will allow Morven to fund a research position for six months.  This research will culminate with an online exhibition and augment Morven's permanent gallery exhibition which tells the stories of the people who lived and labored at Morven.

"When we undertook the reinterpretation of our permanent galleries three years ago, we thought of it as a first step," Barry noted.  "This grant from the William Short Fund for New Jersey of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, along with additional funding provided by Yvette Lanneaux, Colleen Goggins, Lisa and Michael Ullmann, and Liza Morehouse allows us to employ a dedicated researcher charged with identifying as-yet untold stories of the enslaved to Morven's documented history."

New Jersey Historic Trust Grant & "Picket Campaign" to

Restore Morven's Front Fence

The adage "good fences make good neighbors" is in jeopardy as Morven's front fence blew down in the Christmas Day windstorm of 2020. In an effort to replace the fence with historically accurate fencing, following the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, Morven plans to remove the existing wood fence and replace it with a new one, with grant funding from the New Jersey Historic Trust.

"We suspect that the current fence was modeled after a fence that once stood in front of the mansion in the 19th century, a description of which was included in the 1989 Historic Structures Report from an excerpt from an 1875 Appleton Journal article about Morven," Barry said.  "The NJHT grant required a 60%/40% match, leading to the creation of a successful 'Picket Campaign."

Donors to this campaign are:

Eileen & Robert P. O'Neil

Timothy M. Andrews

Carol and Dick Hanson

Cynthia and Robert F. Hendrickson

Mark Herr Communications

Cecilia and Michael Mathews

Valerie and Jim McKinney

Liza and Schuyler Morehouse

Barbara and J. Richard Pierce

Liza and Chris Rice

Sarah Ringer

Daniel C. Scheid

Ann and Austin C. Starkey, Jr.

Daphne A. Townsend

Nancy and James Utaski

Harriet and Jay Vawter

John and Louise Wellemeyer

Ruth and Nick Wilson

Marcia and John Zweig

Morven awarded $15,000 in first round of

NJCH COVID-19 Response grants

"Thanks to the generosity of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) Morven recently received $15,000 in COVID-19 Response Grant funding dedicated to staff salaries," Barry noted.  "This funding comes to us at a critical time as we are returning to pre-pandemic activity levels ; allowing us to provide  meaningful programs to our statewide community."  This funding is granted through December 31, 2022.

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Morven Museum & Garden is supported by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the American Rescue Plan Act. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this press release do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.

ABOUT MORVEN MUSEUM & GARDEN

Most historic sites celebrate one notable resident, Morven is unique in that it was home to many remarkable people. Built in the 1750s and home to one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Morven was home to five generations of Stocktons, then Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. before becoming  New Jersey's first Governor's Mansion and home to five New Jersey governors, their families and staffs; witnessing nearly 300 years of history.    Morven is located at 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ and is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  The gardens are open daily until dusk.

Follow Morven on social media:

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Instagram: @morvenmuseum

Twitter: @MorvenMuseum