Special to The U-R
The Union-Recorder
MILLEDGEVILLE —
The Milledgeville Chapter of the Watson-Brown Foundation Junior Board of Trustees has awarded $33,000 to fund preservation projects in Milledgeville and surrounding communities, announced Matt Davis, curator at the Old Governor’s Mansion and coordinator of the Junior Board project.
Grants awarded by the board include:
— $6,000 to Friends of Baldwin Cemeteries for the Boughton Grave restoration
— $330.47 to Madison County Historical Society for an exhibition at Heritage Hall
— $5,479.50 to Steffen Thomas Museum for artifact preservation
— $3,600 to Gordon: A New Beginning for Gordon Cemetery restoration
— $10,850 to Georgia 4-H Foundation for the Sterling House restoration at Rock Eagle 4-H Center
— $6,740.03 to Macon Cemetery Preservation for Linwood Cemetery restoration
The Milledgeville Junior Board was established in October 2006 through a grant from the Watson-Brown Foundation.
“The grant affords Junior Board members the opportunity to become philanthropists and vehicles for historic preservation,” said Davis.
The 12-member board functions as part of the educational programming at the Old Governor’s Mansion, an entity of Georgia College & State University.
The Junior Board is made up of high school students who have a passion for historic preservation, are active community members, have good academic standing and have strong references from teachers.
This year’s board members included Mitch Beall, Natali Gavanarova and Sang Ah Kim, all from Milledgeville; Morgan Erdman and Leanna Harbor of Gordon; J.D. Felt of Eatonton; Taylor Massengale and Trey Veal of Warthen; Elizabeth S. Lacksen and Jacob Pounds of Sparta; and Justin Shiver of Gray.
The board divided into teams and visited historic sites and reviewed preservation proposals, then presented their selected projects to the rest of the board for consideration and funding approval.
“For another year, students were motivated to make a difference for an organization,” Davis said. “You could see the dedication and concern they had for each organization and the organization’s project.”
Jim Turner, director of the Old Governor’s Mansion added: “I remain grateful to the Watson-Brown Foundation for their generous support of this program. The Junior Board continues to be our most important educational outreach program.”
