HERKIMER — Friends of Historic Herkimer County recently received $10,000 in grant funding to help pay for its Historic Herkimer County Jail Preservation & Tourism Project, helping to repair, restore, and preserve the physical structure of the 1834 jail. The money came from the M&T Bank/Partners Trust Bank Charitable Fund (MTPT) of the Community Foundation […]
HERKIMER — Friends of Historic Herkimer County recently received $10,000 in grant funding to help pay for its Historic Herkimer County Jail Preservation & Tourism Project, helping to repair, restore, and preserve the physical structure of the 1834 jail.
The money came from the M&T Bank/Partners Trust Bank Charitable Fund (MTPT) of the Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties. This grant was part of MTPT’s awarding of more than $765,000 in grants to 35 nonprofits in the two counties in 2019, the Community Foundation announced.
The Historic Herkimer County Jail Preservation & Tourism Project will “significantly restore the stability of the jail,” enable reversal of the deterioration of jail walls, and restore the historic masonry limestone used to build the jail. That will in turn make the entire building available to an increasing number of school children, regional tour groups as a museum, as meeting space, and for expanded fundraising activities, according to officials from the Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties
Outcomes of the project include offering more extensive tours of the Herkimer County Jail, holding more open houses and special events, and enhancing the tourism goals of the Village of Herkimer.
The foundation says the success of the project will be measured by an increase in membership and purchases of engraved bricks, and through the keeping of a log of all visitors, including tour groups, school groups, and ticket sales at fundraisers.
Other grants the M&T Bank/Partners Trust Bank Charitable Fund made last year included providing $29,250 to the Oneida County Youth Bureau to fund a program for 200 disadvantaged children to tour Cooperstown’s Glimmerglass venue and have one-on-one conversations with professional performers, musicians, directors, and staff.
