Crawford County Historical Society Awarded Competitive Wingspan Grant from PA Humanities
Press Release
MEADVILLE – December 9, 2023 – The Crawford County Historical Society, the nonprofit cultural institution and Crawford County’s official county historical repository, is proud to announce that it is among the 24 distinguished recipients of a Wingspan grant. This major initiative by PA Humanities is part of its ongoing 50th anniversary celebration. The grant aims to help BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) as well as rural organizations committed to community-based humanities work soar by providing financial support, amplifying their voices, and cultivating new space for creativity and connection.
“This is another important step towards bringing greater equity to the humanities in Pennsylvania and helping these organizations to really spread their wings,” said PA Humanities executive director Laurie Zierer.
As a Wingspan recipient, the Crawford County Historical Society is set to receive significant financial support, which will be instrumental in better serving the people of Crawford County’s past, present, and future, through preserving and sharing their stories.
“The WIngspan grant will allow the Historical Society to enlarge our capacity and bring programs such as speakers, oral history, and more to every corner of Crawford County, ” said Joshua Sherretts, Executive Director of the Crawford County Historical Society. “We are thrilled to increase the work we do in utilizing our county’s past in an effort to enrich its future.”
In addition to financial support, the Historical Society will join the Wingspan Learning Community composed of 24 grantees in two special learning cohorts (BIPOC and rural). Kicking off in January 2024, they will meet regularly to discuss topics like equitable access to the humanities, building belonging for new audiences, navigating the challenges of leadership, and how cultural work can provide spaces for residents to explore and better understand our ever-changing world.
“Our hope in applying for this grant was to better help the Society serve all of Crawford County, rather than just those within a short distance from the facilities we maintain,” according to Pam Higham, Society Board President. “The work Josh has done at the Society and in working to secure this support is a tremendous step in that direction.”
Funding for Wingspan is made possible with the generous support from Spring Point Partners, and additional funding from PA Humanities, individual donors and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Founded in 1880, the Crawford County Historical Society is the official repository for the history of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. They own and operate one of the most extensive historical research archives in northwest Pennsylvania (located at the James and Elizabeth Tarr Mansion), as well as Mount Hope: The Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum, The Johnson-Shaw Stereoscopic Museum, the Jacob Russell Mosier Medical History Museum, Holland Hall, Shryock Park, and the French Creek Feeder Canal Educational Kiosk. For more information about the Society, its programs, and holdings, contact the Society at jsherretts@crawfordhistorical.org or call (814) 724-6080.
