Last Updated on April 23, 2024 by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Several Indiana communities and organizations will receive grants from the Wabash River Heritage Corridor Fund to assist with historical and cultural projects.
The grant funds are administered by the Department of Natural Resources Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA) with input from the Wabash River Heritage Corridor Commission. The $600,000 of total funding comes from royalties on oil extracted near the Wabash River in southern Indiana.
“To see the future of Indiana, it’s important to understand our past,” said Dan Borner, DNR director. “These projects all play an important role in preserving our history and helping more people connect with our shared Hoosier heritage.”
Projects to be awarded are:
Tippecanoe County: Ouiatenon Preserve Archaeological Survey
The Ouiatenon Preserve, Inc. will receive $99,024 to assist an archaeological survey and investigation of targeted locations within the 200-acre preserve, which is a designated National Historic Landmark Archaeological District. Fieldwork will focus on further investigation of two archaeological sites that may mark the location of a Native American village that once stood near Fort Ouiatenon. Archaeologists will also investigate a gap in a natural levee that may have been a man-made cut meant to ease carrying canoes and goods between the fort and the Wabash River.
Carroll and Cass Counties: Wabash & Erie Canal Archaeological Survey
The University of Indianapolis will receive $100,000 to assist an archaeological survey of approximately 850 acres abutting the bed of the Wabash & Erie Canal on selected properties extending from Delphi in Carroll County to Logansport in Cass County. This project is expected to identify and document many additional canal-associated archaeological sites, improve understanding of the canal structure itself, and investigate the historic location of the former town of Carrollton.
Delphi, Carroll County: Bayou of Delphi Interpretive Exhibits
The Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc. will receive $100,000 to assist design and construction of several outdoor interpretive exhibits about early settlement of the area known as the Delphi Bayou, which is the site of present-day Delphi. This is the first phase of planned outdoor exhibits that will augment the canal museum, historic buildings from the canal period, and archaeological sites that are already interpreted to the public.
Huntington County: Chief Richardville House Rehabilitation
The Historic Forks of the Wabash, Inc. will receive $41,881 to assist various repairs to the Chief Richardville House. This wood frame house was built between 1832-1834 for then-chief of the Miami Nation, Jean Baptiste Richardville. It served as a site for treaty discussions between the Miami and the U.S. government and as a headquarters for the Miami people. The house is now open to the public. Grant funds will be used to replace the cedar shake roof, make various woodwork repairs, replace some badly rotted siding boards, and repaint the exterior.
Parke County: Melcher Covered Bridge Rehabilitation
The Parke County Commissioners will receive $100,000 to rehabilitate the Melcher Covered Bridge near the town of Montezuma. This structure is one of 31 remaining covered bridges in Parke County. It was closed in 2023 due to failure of the west abutment and subsequent damage to some of the bridge’s structural members. Completion of this project will protect the bridge and should allow it to be reopened.
Parke County: Parke County Historical Museum Rehabilitation
The Parke County Historical Society will receive $20,511 to assist with rehabilitation of the County Historical Museum, which was built as a seminary in 1839 and has had various uses over time. Grant funding will enable repairs that will keep water out of the building, including new roofing and gutters, repair and repointing of exterior brick walls, and repair of deteriorated windows and wood trim. These efforts will help protect the museum and its artifacts.
Huntington County: Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings on Campus of O’Donnell Center at Victory Noll
The Huntington County Commissioners will receive $38,584 to undertake repairs at the O’Donnell Center Building and the St. Joseph Building and its attached maintenance garage. These historic buildings are now owned by the county but were part of a religious campus that was founded by Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters in 1925. The project will address leaking roof parapets on both buildings and repair of original wood windows in the maintenance garage attached to the St. Joseph Building.
Attica, Fountain County: WEGA Building Masonry & Storefront Rehabilitation
The Wabash Economic Growth Alliance, Inc. will receive $100,000 to rehabilitate a vacant and deteriorated corner building in downtown Attica for its organizational offices, business incubator offices, co-working and rental office space, and a cafe. Grant funding will assist roof replacement and new rain gutters, installation of a historically appropriate storefront and new wood windows, and masonry repairs.
SOURCE: News release from Indiana Department of Natural Resources