January 26, 2017
January 23, 2017
2017 Tobacco Barns Grant Cycle Announced
Preservation Virginia/JTI Tobacco Barns Mini-Grants Project
Preservation Virginia and JTI Leaf Services are pleased to announce that the Tobacco Barns Mini-Grants Project will be held for a fourth year in 2017. Funded by a grant from JTI Leaf Services, the Mini-Grants Project was formed in 2014 to provide small grants to help stabilize and repair tobacco barns in a three-county region: Caswell County, North Carolina; Halifax County, Virginia and Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
This annual program has merited regional and national accolades including a VACO, Virginia Association of Counties, Achievement Award for Pittsylvania County and a Leadership in History Award from the AASLH, the American Association for State and Local History. The program was also listed as Number 33 in Garden and Gun Magazine‘s “50 Reasons We Love the South Now” in 2015.
2017 Grant Cycle
For the 2017 grant cycle, in order to be eligible to receive a mini-grant, the barn must be located within the 3-county region and it must be in need of repairs but also in good enough condition that the repairs can be done in a quality manner within a cap of $4,500 per barn.
All of the barns submitted will be evaluated for their integrity, historical significance, public benefits, stewardship shown by the owners and the geographic distribution throughout the three-county area.
Barn owners who submitted applications in 2014, 2015 or 2016 and wish to reapply for 2017, must submit a 2017 application; however, images and/or historical information submitted previously do not have to be resubmitted.
Due to delays, the 2017 grant cycle applications will be due March 15, 2017.
Applications
Applications can be obtained from Preservation Virginia’s website at https://preservationvirginia.org/programs/tobacco-barns-protection-project or by contacting Sonja Ingram at singram@preservationvirginia.org or 434-770-1208, or at the following locations:
The Richmond-Miles History Museum
197-207 Main St
Yanceyville, NC
12- 4, Wed- Fri 2
Historic Caswell County Courthouse
139 E Church St
Yanceyville, NC
9-5, Mon-Fri
Pittsylvania County History Research Center and Library (Train Depot)
340 Whitehead Street
Chatham, VA
9-5, Tue-Sat and 1-5, Sunday
Halifax County Visitor’s Center
1180 Bill Tuck Highway.
South Boston, VA
9-5, Mon–Sat and 1-5, Sun
Future of the Project
At the end of 2017 grant cycle, the Mini-Grants Project will have repaired over 50 tobacco barns in the region. All of the barns that are repaired represent unique resources that afford some type of public benefit and help to grow a local identity and distinctiveness by connecting residents to their past.
Each year the project also facilitates the creation of at least 10 jobs in the. The project also has the potential to be a powerful economic engine by means of tourism − one of the strongest industries in Virginia which brought in over 23 billion dollars and supported over 200,000 jobs in the state in 2015.
About JTI and Preservation Virginia
JTI Leaf Services in Danville, Virginia, was established in 2010 to procure and process leaf tobacco from the United States. JTI Leaf Services supplies JTI exclusively with directly contracted U.S. leaf tobacco- renowned globally for its high quality and rich flavor. The Company has established itself as an industry leader in processing at its state-of-the-art facility. JTI Leaf Services currently employs over 50 full-time workers in Danville and hires more than 250 seasonal employees for tobacco processing each year.
Founded in 1889, Preservation Virginia is a private non-profit organization and statewide historic preservation leader dedicated to perpetuating and revitalizing Virginia's cultural, architectural and historic heritage thereby ensuring that historic places are integral parts of the lives of present and future generations.
For more information on the Tobacco Barns Mini-Grants Project, please visit Preservation Virginia’s website at www.preservationvirginia.org . For interviews on the press release please contact Sonja Ingram at singram@preservationvirginia.org or 434-770-1209.
