MIDDLETOWN — The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will donate $550 to the Poricy Park Conservancy for chimney repair at the Murray Farmhouse.
Funding for this project was made possible through the sponsorship of the Shrewsbury Towne-Monmouth Chapter, National Society DAR, located in Shrewsbury.
Since 1970, the nonprofit Poricy Park Conservancy, in partnership with Middletown Township, has been dedicated to the preservation of Poricy Park’s natural and historical resources. Poricy Park contains 250 acres of open space, wildlife and habitats, prehistoric fossil beds as well as the historic Murray Farmhouse and Barn.
The DAR Historic Preservation Grant is a 1:1 matching grant, and the Conservancy will provide the match. The grant will fund the repair of the cooking fireplace chimney so that the historic cooking demonstrations, a major component of the Park’s educational programming, may continue.
“The Board of Trustees is delighted to be able to match this generous donation from the DAR. We have had genuine concerns about continuing to use the Farmhouse chimney, and this provided an opportunity to remedy the condition. We thank you so much and look forward to working with the DAR on any future projects that may qualify,” said Elaine Hinckley, president of the Poricy Park Board of Trustees.
“We appreciate the Poricy Park Conservancy’s continued support as we work to preserve the Murray Farmhouse and Barn,” said Middletown Mayor Gerard P. Scharfenberger.
He noted this grant will dovetail nicely with a $23,000 grant received to prepare a historic preservation plan for the house.
The DAR grants program was started in 2010. Funding is awarded to support projects in local communities to promote the organization’s mission areas of historic preservation, education and patriotism.
The DAR receives hundreds of grants applications each year, making competition high for the funding through the nonprofit organization. Interested groups must be sponsored by a local DAR chapter, submit a copy of their public charity 501(c)(3) IRS documentation and include a narrative describing the need and urgency of the project as well as planned activities and benefits to the community that would result from the grant.
The National Society DAR was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history and support better education for our nation’s children. Its members are descended from patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With 178,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world’s largest and most active service organizations.
For more information about applying for a Special Projects Grant from DAR, visit www.dar.org/grants.