Ohio History Fund Grants Pike Heritage Museum $11,000
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(Waverly) – The Ohio History Connection has awarded 12 Ohio History Fund grants to community history organizations, including one to the Pike Heritage Museum in Waverly. Now in its 13th year, the Ohio History Fund is a competitive matching grants program and one of six “tax check-off” funds found on Ohio’s income tax return forms. It is funded in part through Ohio taxpayers’ voluntary contributions.
“The Ohio History Fund allows us to preserve and share Ohio stories by supporting history projects all over the state,” said Megan Wood, Executive Director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection. “Local history helps us understand where we came from and gives us a sense of identity and place, inspiring pride in our communities.”
The Ohio History Connection awarded $189,660 in grants this year, its second-highest amount ever. Since the program started in 2012, the Ohio History Fund has made a total of 149 grants to history and cultural organizations across the state totaling more than $1.6 million.
Ohio History Connection representatives will visit grant recipients in March and April for check presentations. Please contact Neil Thompson, Manager of Media and Public Relations, at 614-917-9348 or nthompson@ohiohistory.org to verify times and to RSVP for coverage.
2025 Ohio History Fund Grant Recipients
Pike Heritage Foundation, Waverly
$11,176 for Pike Heritage Museum ADA Compatible Restroom
The foundation will make the restrooms in Pike Heritage Museum accessible, according to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The museum is in the former Waverly Evangelical German Reformed Church, constructed in 1859. The restrooms were added around 1950 but lack accommodation for those with mobility issues. This project will be the final part of a year-long effort to make the museum accessible to all people. As the Waverly Evangelical German Reformed Church, the museum is part of the Waverly Canal Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The review panel agreed the work would not affect the building’s historic appearance and noted it can be difficult for small organizations to afford the cost of accessibility upgrades to their National Register-listed buildings.
Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation, Cincinnati
$12,546 for Brewing Heritage Trail App Phase 2
The Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation will expand its Brewing Heritage Trail app by creating digital profiles for an additional 32 historic brewing structures and locations in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The app serves as a virtual extension of the Brewing Heritage Trail, providing users with a deeper dive into the district’s unique history and architecture, as well as the personalities who have defined Cincinnati’s brewing legacy. The History Fund review panel noted that the applicants have the wherewithal to execute phase 2 of this well-planned project.
City of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Parks
$14,051 for Cincinnati Parks Historic Bronze Sign Project
Cincinnati Parks will begin restoring and installing historic bronze park entrance signs. Starting in 1929, the city began installing bronze name signs at the entrances to parks to signify the area as managed by the Cincinnati Park Board. With the addition of new parks, the style and materials for the bronze entrance signs have remained consistent. Over the years, a number of these signs have been removed for such reasons as damage and restoration. This project will allow for two signs to be restored and returned to park entrances, in their historic location and orientations. History Fund reviewers agreed that the restored signs will return elements of beauty to the parks that have been missing.
Green Lawn Abbey Preservation Association, Columbus
$8,100 for Green Lawn Abbey Window Restoration Project
The association will restore an original stained-glass window, which is opposite the Abbey’s entrance and in its largest gathering space. Using the experience gained from having successfully restored 13 windows, the project will remove the window and restore it off premises. The restored window will be reinstalled in a 3-track frame, with the restored window on the inside track, a tempered laminated glass vented coverant in the outside track, for protection. Reviewers said the work would preserve the window and maintain the Abbey’s historical integrity, according to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The Abbey is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Karamu House, Cleveland
$20,000 for Karamu House Roof Replacement
The grant will support roof replacement on Karamu House’s Education & Administration building. Completion of these capital improvements will be the capstone to a multiyear, full-campus renovation, following the successful completion of theater wing renovations and new construction. Founded in 1915 as part of the settlement house movement, Karamu has a storied legacy of building community through the arts while pursuing racial equity for Black Americans via socially relevant programming, support for artists of color and celebrations of Black life and culture. Karamu is recognized as the nation’s oldest Black producing theater and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The work will be completed according to the Secretary of the Interiors Standards to the Treatment of Historic Properties.
Lakeside Heritage Society, Lakeside
$16,643 for Historic Heritage Hall Floor Restoration
The society will restore the original floorboards of its Heritage Hall Museum and install wood-compatible flooring in a smaller 50-year-old building addition. Heritage Hall was once the Methodist chapel at Lakeside. It was built in 1875 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a part of the Lakeside Historic District. This project is phase 1 of a larger three-phase project to restore and rehabilitate the interior and renovate the museum in celebration of the building’s 150th anniversary. The goal of the renovations is to restore the building’s historic character, extend its longevity and enhance the educational value of the museum for visitors. The work will adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards to the Treatment of Historic Properties. The History Fund review panel said the project is well-planned and is a good first step towards restoring the building to its historic appearance. The panel also noted the care that will be given to society’s artifacts, which will be professionally moved under the supervision of museum staff to climate-controlled storage for the duration of the project.
Lorain Historical Society, Lorain
$19,250 for Supplies to Make the Moore House Better Equipped for Programming and Artifact Storage
The Lorain Historical Society is converting its Moore House from a traditional house museum into a space to host public programs and better care for its artifact collections. As a part of its “Making the Most of the Moore House” Strategic Plan, the Lorain Historical Society applied for a grant to purchase supplies and equipment needed to execute the conversion: display cases, a SMART Board, folding chairs, archival boxes, archival tissue paper and a storage-shelving unit. By enhancing artifact preservation and expanding community engagement the Moore House, one of two historic buildings cared for by the society, this project ensures the continued vitality of the organization. The review panel noted this project places collections care at the center of what the society wants to do to rejuvenate the Moore House and better engage audiences.
Mariemont Preservation Foundation, Mariemont
$5,000 for Ferris House Museum Masonry Repair
With the grant, the foundation will hire an experienced contactor to execute repairs to the masonry the Ferris House, built between 1801-1812 and one of the oldest brick buildings in Hamilton County. The work is imperative for securing the building from water intrusion in preparation for its opening and return to use as the Mariemont Historical Museum. The work is a part of the first phase of the house’s renovation, which focuses on structural repairs to ensure the space is safe for visitors and for the contents of the museum. The house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The review panel was especially impressed by the foundation’s knowledge of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and how they apply to the project. Although masonry work will be completed by a contractor, it will be guided by an organization dedicated to preserving the house’s historical appearance and character.
Marion County Federation of Women’s Clubs, Marion
$5,400 for Marion Women’s Club & Home Exterior Wood and Window Repair
With this grant’s support, the federation will accomplish specific and much needed exterior wood and window repairs to its Marion Women’s Club & Home, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The repairs will halt the progression of the wood deterioration and help restore the Home’s original beauty. The project is a part of a larger effort to restore the federation’s headquarters. The review panel noted that the grant request was modest and the project focused. As one reviewer noted: “It’s better to complete these repairs sooner rather than later – when they will be more expensive.” The federation’s successful completion of earlier projects according to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties gives the review panel every confidence that the applicant will continue to restore and maintain the historic character of the Home.
Salem Township Board of Trustees, Urbana
$18,819 for Mt. Tabor Church Stained Glass Windows
The grant will enable the Salem Township Board of Trustees in Champaign County to repair and restore three of the most critical of 14 stained-glass windows in Mt. Tabor Church. The trustees intend the successful effort to encourage support for work on the remaining 11 after the History Fund portion of the project ends. The structure was built in 1881 as the Mt. Tabor Methodist Episcopal Church. The building and its cemetery and grounds were entrusted to the care of the Salem Township Trustees in 1939. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and the work will be governed by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The panel recommends this project because the work will be guided by an assessment from a professional historic preservationist with experience in stained-glass window restoration. The panel was impressed a board of township trustees was the applicant, given other pressing demands on trustees’ resources. The reviewers applaud the Salem Township Board of Trustees for this effort.
Trumbull County Historical Society, Warren
$20,000 for Moving the Sutliff Museum: Preserving Warren’s Underground Railroad History
This project will move 3,500 nationally significant artifacts about the Underground Railroad, the anti-slavery movement and 19th century Warren from the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library to a climate-controlled environment at the Morgan History Center of the Trumbull County Historical Society. Since 1971, the Sutliff Museum has been housed in the library, but the society was approached in 2023 to acquire the collection and move it to the Morgan History Center. The society and the newly formed Sutliff Committee will curate new exhibits, keeping at the forefront Phebe Sutliff’s original vision of highlighting the anti-slavery movement. The society also will ensure the long-term preservation of the collection, as well as transcribe more than 800 documents and letters and improve accessibility to the collection for researchers and the public. The review panel recommended this project because it would transfer to a highly competent and growing organization a collection of statewide and national importance.
Women Religious Archives Collaborative, Cleveland
$19,975 for Oversize Manuscript Material Assessment and Rehousing
The Women Religious Archives Collaborative (WRAC) will assess and rehouse oversize manuscript materials of 13 of the approximately 40 collections that will be housed at its future Heritage Center, slated to open in summer 2026 in Cleveland. The collections identified for the project belong to congregations that have made significant contributions to Ohio’s history. The assessment, rehousing and storage of these materials at the Heritage Center advance WRAC’s goal of making these materials and the histories they tell available to the public, including scholars, students and researchers. This work is timely because many congregations need to move their archives soon because of aging memberships. At risk are their legacies and those of the women before them who helped educate and care for Ohioans for more than 200 years. The review panel recognized the historical and cultural value of the collections and supports initial steps toward their preservation with this grant.
