The Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP) and Lake Champlain Basin Program awarded more than $200,000 in grants to organizations in Vermont, New York and Québec for projects that promote and protect the region’s history in 2020 and 2021.
Smuggling, bootlegging, and moonshining are among the stories of the Champlain Valley’s past that will be highlighted.
The grants are expected to support work to showcase Champlain Valley’s history, conserve museum collections, and support internships in museums and libraries.
Five “Interpretive Theme” projects will help mark the CVNHP’s commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited the production, sales or transportation of alcoholic beverages.
These projects look at the role of the Champlain Valley as a corridor of commerce and economic activity. Extending into Canada, the valley was fertile ground for the illegal transport of alcohol during Prohibition.
Projects supported for the 2020-21 season include:
Adirondack Experience: The Adirondack Experience Library will hire an intern for eight weeks in 2021 to process historical ephemera collections and oral history interviews that document life, industry, and development in New York’s Adirondack Park and its immediate environs, including portions of the Champlain Valley. ($5,000)
Musée Missisquoi Museum: The Québec museum will install UV Window Filtering Film and LED Lighting for the long-term preservation of artifacts. ($7,500)
Rokeby Museum: Students in grades 9-12 in Rokeby’s home school district in Vermont will participate in this place-based multi-disciplinary education project, with the assistance of museum staff and volunteer specialists, to develop new outdoor interpretive signage and trail infrastructure upgrades to the museum’s cultural and natural history interpretive trail “How Does a Farm Become a Forest?” ($4,000)
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum: “Destroy the Cargo!” will be a new exhibit and digital interactive at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum showcasing the important role that Lake Champlain played in smuggling alcohol from Canada into the United States on Lake Champlain during federal Prohibition ($7,500)
To view the full list of 2021 grants or to learn about future grant programs, visit the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership website, or email CVNHP Coordinator Jim Brangan at jbrangan@lcbp.org.
Leave a Reply