Montpelier Foundation

15.904 HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND GRANTS-IN-AID HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND GRANTS-IN-AID ASSIST IN THE IDENTIFICATION, EVALUATION, AND PROTECTION OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES BY SUCH MEANS AS EDUCATION, SURVEY, PLANNING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, PRESERVATION, DOCUMENTATION, AND FINANCIAL INCENTIVES LIKE GRANTS AND TAX CREDITS AVAILABLE FOR HISTORIC PROPERTIES. OPPORTUNITY P24AS00546 THE SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL GRANT PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE PHYSICAL PRESERVATION OF A BROAD VARIETY OF CULTURAL RESOURCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOUNDING OF AMERICA AS A NATION IN COMMEMORATION OF THE COUNTRY S SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL (250TH ANNIVERSARY). BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE STATES, TRIBES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AS RELATED TO STATE-OWNED PROPERTIES. THESE GRANTS FUND PHYSICAL PRESERVATION FOR NATIONAL REGISTER LISTED, STATE OWNED, CULTURAL RESOURCES RELATED TO THE FOUNDING OF THE NATION. THIS PROJECT IS AWARDED TO THETHE MONTPELIER FOUNDATION FOR MASONRY AND STRUCTURAL REPAIRS.

UNEARTHING A COMMUNITY OF HOUSEHOLDS: ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE EARLY 19TH-CENTURY ENSLAVED COMMUNITY AT JAMES MADISON'S MONTPELIER

MONTPELIER WILL CREATE AN ONLINE ARCHIVE OF THE 2003-2008 RESTORATION OF PRESIDENT JAMES MADISON'S HISTORIC HOUSE. DURING THE RESTORATION, ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIANS PRODUCED MORE THAN 125,000 PHOTOGRAPHS, 1,500 DRAWINGS, AND HUNDREDS OF REAMS OF NOTES THAT DOCUMENTED THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE USED TO RESTORE THE HOUSE TO ITS 1810S APPEARANCE. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL SCAN, DIGITALLY TAG, AND LINK THE RECORDS TO AN EXISTING 3D MODEL OF THE MAIN HOUSE, FORMING A GEOREFERENCED DATABASE OF THE RESTORATION. THIS WILL BE ADAPTED INTO A WEB-FRIENDLY FORMAT USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) SOFTWARE. MUSEUM STAFF WILL CREATE A SERIES OF ONLINE EXHIBITS THAT HIGHLIGHT COMPELLING CASE STUDIES FROM THE RESTORATION.

UNDERSTANDING THE OVERSEER: USING ARCHAEOLOGY TO EXAMINE STATUS AND IDENTITY AT JAMES MADISON'S MONTPELIER

IMPLEMENTING PHASED REOPENING PLAN FOR JAMES MADISON'S MONTPELIER

JAMES MADISON’S MONTPELIER WILL CREATE NON-PARTISAN PROGRAMMING TO INSPIRE AND EMPOWER PEOPLE TO BECOME MORE ACTIVE, ENGAGED, AND EDUCATED PARTICIPANTS IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FIRST AMENDMENT MUSEUM AND LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, THE MUSEUM WILL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT FOUR TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS, 18 COMMUNITY “HOW-TO” WORKSHOPS, AND STUDENT WORKSHOPS EXPECTED TO REACH 2,750 STUDENTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT. THE PROGRAMS WILL HELP TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC LEARN HOW TO EXERCISE THEIR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS OF SPEECH, PRESS, ASSEMBLY, AND PETITION. THE MUSEUM WILL CONTRACT WITH AN OUTSIDE EVALUATOR TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE EVALUATION COMPONENTS. THIS PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO PROMOTE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND IS CENTRAL TO MONTPELIER’S CONSTITUTION INITIATIVE, A 10-YEAR VENTURE DEDICATED TO THE NATION’S FOUNDING DOCUMENT.

JAMES MADISON AND CONSTITUTIONAL CITIZENSHIP

JAMES MADISON AND CONSTITUTIONAL CITIZENSHIP

REOPENING AND INTERPRETING AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY SITES AT JAMES MADISON'S MONTPELIER [MONTPELIER HAS A WEALTH OF SITES AND EXHIBITS TO HELP VISITORS LEARN ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, BUT MOST OF THESE RESOURCES HAVE BEEN INACCESSIBLE FOR OVER A YEAR DUE TO CAPACITY LIMITS AND STAFFING REQUIRED FOR SANITIZING, CAPACITY MONITORING, AND INTERPRETATION. WITH THE SUPPORT OF NEH, WE PROPOSE TO REOPEN THESE SPACES AND IMPLEMENT NEW INTERPRETIVE STRATEGIES, HELPING VISITORS ENGAGE WITH OUR COMPLEX HISTORY IN EVEN MORE MEANINGFUL WAYS. WE WILL REOPEN THE AWARD-WINNING THE MERE DISTINCTION OF COLOUR (MDC) SLAVERY EXHIBITION; THE RECONSTRUCTED SOUTH YARD BUILDINGS WHERE ENSLAVED PEOPLE LIVED AND WORKED; THE GILMORE CABIN, A FREEDMAN'S HOME; AND A RESTORED JIM CROW-ERA TRAIN DEPOT. WE WILL ALSO RELAUNCH THE ENSLAVED COMMUNITY TOUR AND STATION INTERPRETERS IN THE SOUTH YARD AND MDC TO HELP VISITORS PROCESS THEIR EXPERIENCE. FINALLY, WE WILL HOLD A PLANNING WORKSHOP TO REIMAGINE THE INTERPRETATION OF GILMORE CABIN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DESCENDANTS OF THE FAMILY WHO LIVED THERE.] [PURPOSE:' REOPENING OF MONTPELIER'S AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORIC SITES AND EXHIBITIONS.   ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE REOPENING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF REVISED INTERPRETIVE APPROACHES IN 'THE MERE DISTINCTION OF COLOUR' AND 'IN THE TIME OF SEGREGATION' EXHIBITIONS, THE SOUTH YARD STRUCTURES, THE ENSLAVED COMMUNITY TOUR, THE GILMORE CABIN, AND PROPERTY-WIDE OUTDOOR INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE. EXPECTED OUTCOMES:'REVISED INTERPRETATION OF EXHIBITIONS AND STRUCTURES, RETENTION OF SEVEN FULL-TIME AND 25 PART-TIME POSITIONS, AND THE CREATION OF SIX PART-TIME POSITIONS.     INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: VISITORS TO MONTPELIER; RESIDENTS OF THE REGION.     SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES:' THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT INTEND TO SUBAWARD FUNDS.]

THE MONTPELIER FOUNDATION WILL COMPLETE THE FINAL DESIGN, FABRICATION, AND INSTALLATION OF AN INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION TO FOSTER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT FAIRNESS, JUSTICE, AND RACE BETWEEN CHILDREN AND THEIR CAREGIVERS. THE MUSEUM WILL WORK WITH AN EXHIBIT DESIGN FIRM AND MEDIA SPECIALISTS TO COMPLETE THE CONCEPT DESIGN. THIS DESIGN WILL BE PEER REVIEWED BY MUSEUM COLLEAGUES, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SPECIALISTS, AND CHILD PSYCHOLOGISTS. A COMMITTEE FROM THE MONTPELIER DESCENDANT COMMUNITY WILL ALSO REVIEW THE CONTENT DESIGN AND ASSIST WITH THE CREATION OF AN AUDIO COLLAGE. FOLLOWING ON-SITE BETA TESTING, THE MUSEUM WILL FINALIZE DESIGN, GRAPHICS, AND TEXT AND COMPLETE THE INSTALLATION. INTERPRETIVE STAFF MEMBERS WILL BE TRAINED ON METHODS TO ENGAGE EARLY LEARNERS. THE MUSEUM STAFF WILL COORDINATE TWO ROUNDS OF EVALUATION BY OBSERVING AND SPEAKING WITH VISITORS IN THE SPACE AND BY CONDUCTING ONSITE AND ONLINE SURVEYS.

ENHANCING MONTPELIER'S VISITOR EXPERIENCE: JAMES MADISON AND THE CREATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

MONTPELIER DIGITAL COLLECTIONS PROJECT

TEACHER SYMPOSIUM ON THE WAR OF 1812

JAMES MADISON’S MONTPELIER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MONTPELIER DESCENDANTS COMMITTEE WILL RE-ENVISION THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE BY CREATING A NEW INTERPRETIVE PLAN FOR THE SITE. THE PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THE NEED FOR MUSEUMS AND HISTORIC SITES TO ENGAGE EFFECTIVELY AND ETHICALLY IN TRUTH-TELLING ABOUT SLAVERY’S ROLE IN THE SHAPING OF THE UNITED STATES, THE LEGACY IT CONTINUES TO HAVE ON RACE RELATIONS IN AMERICA, AND THE LINGERING INSTITUTIONAL DISPARITIES THAT PREVENT AMERICANS FROM REALIZING THE IDEALS EXPRESSED IN OUR FOUNDING DOCUMENTS. A CORE COMMITTEE WILL CREATE A NARRATIVE INTERPRETIVE PLAN WITH UP TO FOUR INTERPRETIVE THEMES, AND WORK WITH CONSULTANTS TO CO-CREATE THE CONTENT AND IMPLEMENT THE PLAN FOR A NEW VISITOR EXPERIENCE AND TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE EVALUATIONS. THE MUSEUM AND THE DESCENDANT COMMUNITY WILL BENEFIT FROM CO-CREATION OF VISITOR SERVICES STRATEGIES, INTERPRETIVE GOALS AND METHODS, AND SITE WAYFINDING THAT WILL WELCOME MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND PROVIDE A MORE COMPLETE AMERICAN HISTORY WHERE EVERYONE SEES THEIR STORY REPRESENTED.