$2.5 million funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan
Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (April 11, 2022) – At a news conference today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Telling the Full History Preservation Fund announced its award of $25,000 to the Door County Historical Society. The grant is one of 80 given to select organizations nationwide with projects that helped preserve, interpret, and activate historic places to tell the stories of underrepresented groups in our nation.
This grant-funded project has two goals: compile a comprehensive, truthful, transparent, and accurate history of First Nations peoples and migrant workers in Door County and make that information as publicly accessible as possible by creating a free, multilingual, outdoor exhibit at Heritage Village at Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. In addition to this exhibit, the Door County Historical Society plans to create a map of the peninsula and the surrounding islands to record and preserve locations significant to these underrepresented communities.
“To receive such an exclusive federal grant is a true honor,” said Bailey Koepsel, Executive Director of the Door County Historical Society. “This is an incredible opportunity to amplify the voices of First Nations peoples and migrant workers, and share the rich, unedited history of these underrepresented communities in Door County.”
The grant was made possible through a one-time $2.5 million grant program funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021.
“The Telling the Full History Preservation Fund represents the largest number of grants given through a single program at the National Trust,” said Katherine Malone-France, Chief Preservation Officer. “These 80 projects are driven by many dedicated volunteers, staff, and experts, all seeking to expand how we compose the American narrative. We are grateful for the work that they do on the ground and in their communities to reveal, remember, celebrate, and illuminate these stories through these extraordinary places,” she continued.
“The National Endowment for the Humanities commends the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its work in administering American Rescue Plan funds to assist historic sites, museums, and preservation organizations around the country in recovering from the financial impact of the pandemic,” said NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo). “These awards will reach deeply into communities large and small, lift up often overlooked voices, and tell important, untold stories of our country’s rich and diverse history.”
For more information about this grant go to doorcountyhistoricalsociety.org.
To see the full list of grantees, go to savingplaces.org/neh-telling-full-history.
THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The National Trust, a 501(c)(3) organization, is a privately funded nonprofit chartered by Congress in 1949 to protect the nation’s historic places. Today, the organization is deeply committed to utilizing preservation as a tool to advance justice and equity for all Americans. We are guided by four strategic priorities: Saving America’s Historic Sites, Telling the Full American Story, Building Stronger Communities, and Investing in Preservation’s Future. The National Trust for Historic Preservation was recognized by the National Endowment for the Humanities with the National Humanities Medal in 2001.
THE TELLING THE FULL HISTORY PRESERVATION FUND
The Telling the Full History Preservation Fund restores and supports the core activities of humanities-based organizations as they recover from the pandemic and utilize historic places as catalysts for a more just and equitable society. Due to their power as primary sources, historic places advance our quest for a more perfect union by combining individual experience inside the American story with relevant, innovative humanities scholarship. It emphasizes telling the full, true story of historic places to gain components critical to the historic record, to help complete the humanities infrastructure of the nation, and to reimagine history in ways that reflect a comprehensive view of American identity. To learn more about the Telling the Full History Preservation Fund, go to savingplaces.org/neh-telling-full-history
ALL CONTENT © 2025 BY DOOR GUIDE PUBLISHING
