County backs Westmoreland County Museum’s pursuit for grant funds
Richard Burrell
Aug 21, 2024 Updated Aug 21, 2024
With the 250th birthday of our country approaching, earlier this year, Governor Youngkin and the General Assembly released around $20 million in grant funds with the aim of helping historic areas and facilities market and promote events tied to the American Revolution. Rosemary Mahan, the Westmoreland County Museum’s executive director, is looking to secure a portion of that money.
During the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors’ meeting this month, Mahan spoke about the grant.
“I can’t think of a county more deserving of this than Westmoreland County,” she stated before unveiling the resolution that had been cooked up, which was aimed at the County’s ties to a host of names and events that had been critical in the events that led up to and followed in the wake of the American Revolution.
Take, for instance, Richard Henry Lee, who authored the 1766 Leedsdown Resolves, which were written in response to the infamous Stamp Act of 1765, as well as the Resolution for Independence, also known as the Lee Resolution, which was passed by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776. Richard Henry Lee was also a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation and later served as a United States senator from 1789 to 1792.
Following in his wake is that of Francis Lightfoot Lee, Richard Henry’s brother, who also signed the 1766 Leedstown Resolves, the Declaration of Independence, and Articles of Confederation.
In addition to those two, three Presidents were born in or near the County, specifically George Washington, James Monroe, and James Madison, the latter of which was born on Belle Grove Plantation in what is now King George County.
Furthermore, the old Westmoreland County Courthouse building serves as the house for a marble tablet that depicts the Leedstown Resolves, and the neighboring museum holds plenty artifacts, including full-length portraits of the aforementioned founding fathers.
The grants, should the museum manage to secure any of them, would be used for capital improvement campaigns to both structures, ranging from stabilizing perimeter walls, steps, and walkways to landscaping, lighting, and plenty of other projects.
Mahan then laid out to the Board the reason she had brought the resolution to them.
“I had to come to you for this because in order to obtain the grant, you have to either own the property or have the approval from the owners of the property,” Mahan explained. That means I need your permission to go after some grant funding to help protect these facilities.”
“Is there any money that could be used in helping the James Monroe Foundation?” Supervisor Woody Hynson asked. “We need to have at least two paid people up there giving tours. It needs to be open to the public, and that’s why I’m asking you if you can work it into your grants.”
“I can’t work it into my grant, because you aren’t the owners of that facility nor am I the protector of that facility,” Mahan responded. “The James Monroe Foundation will have to submit a request for a grant.”
“I’d like to thank you for putting this together for us,” Supervisor Jeff McCormack chimed afterwards. “I don’t know of a more deserving area for a grant like this. I look forward to you hopefully receiving this grant.”
Supervisor Matt Ingram also gave a round of thanks to Mahan and put his support behind the resolution.
“Chairman Fisher and I had the privilege of getting a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum and the courthouse and the desperate need of repairs for both structures” he stated. “We’re right at the cusp of the point where if something happens to these structures, we’re going to lose a lot of valuable history. If there is anything else you need from the Board of Supervisors, we’re here to support you because we need to protect our history.”
Thanks to the Board’s unanimous approval, the museum now heads into the next step of the grant process. The August 30 deadline is rapidly approaching.