WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today announced two federal grants, totaling $379,049, to help fund digitization projects and children’s programming initiatives at James Madison’s Montpelier in Orange County.

“Virginia’s Seventh District is home to many sites like Montpelier that play a prominent role in the history of our Commonwealth and our nation,” said Spanberger. “These grants will play an important part in ensuring that this historic location and its excellent educational programming are preserved for decades to come and made accessible for Central Virginia families and children of all ages. I thank the Institute of Museum and Library Services for supporting this stewardship work and choosing to partner with this historic Virginia landmark.”

“We’re honored and excited to receive this grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to broaden the scope of public-facing content at Montpelier,” said Dennis Kernahan, Chair of the Montpelier Board of Directors. “We believe strongly that these conversations should not be reserved for adults, and the learning of the truth of American history, and the topics of justice, fairness, and race is vital for our younger visitors. It’s incumbent upon us to be intentional and thoughtful about how we provide places and spaces, for our younger visitors to interact with, and learn about, the whole truth of the American founding.”

“This grant will enable us organize, digitize, and make publicly accessible in a 3D environment the records relating to the 2003-2008 restoration of James Madison’s historic residence at Montpelier,” said Matt Reeves, Montpelier Director of Archaeology and Landscape Restoration. “By collecting all evidence about the house’s historic fabric in a single spatial database, this project will substantially improve Montpelier’s ability to care for and interpret our most important artifact, the Madison house. It furthermore provides a starting place for Montpelier’s larger plans to create a digital 3D catalogue of all the thousands of objects that have been recovered from over two decades of archaeological and architectural investigations.”

These federal funds are distributed as follows:

Institute of Museum and Library Services, Museums for America Program: $129,049 to enhance and modernize Montpelier children’s programming and $250,000 to fund the digitization of records related to the restoration and historic preservation of James Madison’s home at Montpelier.

The awards to the Seventh District’s Montpelier site are two of just 112 Museums for America-funded projects nationwide.

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