The list is not as long as it should be. History needs to be better preserved in Pierce County and the Pierce County Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission is seeking those who want to help catalog and preserve it. Their historic preservation grants help rebuild places that are intrinsically historic and unique to our past.

This link is to the list of places already deemed historic in Pierce County. There are many, particularly in the unincorporated areas that are not listed, marked, or otherwise given any recognition to passersby.

Two types of grants are available, those that purchase or reconstruct an historic site and those that catalog, mark, record or document a historic place. There are even special grants for historic barns, a sight becoming less frequent in our rush to build thousands of homes. The window to submit 2025 grant applications is August 19 to September 30, 2024. Grants awards require the applicant to have matching funds from other sources.

Here are the two types of grant funding:

Up to $15,000 for non-building projects such as…
collection, acquisition, cataloging, interpretation, exhibition, preservation or enhancement of historically significant artifacts and documents, historic markers or interpretive signage, historical research under the supervision of a qualified professional or public events and programs that promote Pierce County culture or history.

Up to $35,000 for properties designated as an official landmark in Pierce County…
to identify, protect, restore, excavate, and reconstruct districts, sites, buildings, and other structures, gardens, landscapes and other objects of significance to heritage, history, architecture, archaeology, or culture.

Last year, the Parkland School qualified for an historic preservation grant toward the purchase of the building. Funding resources such as this are so valuable to understanding our past and saving the places and stories for our future generations.