The Minnesota Historical Society recently awarded a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant for $7,000 to the Freeborn County Historical Society. The grant was approved by the society’s awards committee on Dec. 9 and supports the newspaper microfilm project.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the Minnesota Legislature from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund created with passage of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution in November 2008. The grants are awarded to support projects of enduring value for the cause of history and historic preservation across the state.

Newspaper microfilm project

The newspaper microfilm project is a project of enduring value because it will preserve and make available the history of Freeborn County and its people. The project began January 3 and will be completed by March 2011. It includes microfilmed newspapers of the Blooming Prairie Times, Blooming Prairie News, Bricelyn Sentinel, Kiester Courier, Ellendale: Our Community News, New Richland Review, New Richland Star, New Richland Star Eagle, Wells Atlas, Faribault County Leader and Lyle Tribune. There are 133 reels in all.

“It is wonderful to see so many communities and local organizations benefitting from the Historical and Cultural Heritage grants,” said Britta Bloomberg, deputy state historic preservation officer. “Minnesotans should be proud of the unprecedented opportunities these grants provide for organizations to preserve and share our history and cultural heritage. The impact of projects supported by Historical and Cultural Heritage grants will be felt throughout the state for many years to come.”

The Society will award a total of $6.75 million in Historical and Cultural Heritage grants to nonprofit and educational organizations, government units and tribes during the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years for projects of enduring value for the cause of history and historic preservation across the state. Grants are available in three tiers: small or “fast track” grants of $7,000 or less, mid-size grants between $7,000 and $50,000, and large grants of more than $50,000. For more information, including applications and deadlines, visit www.mnhs.org/legacygrants.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. Its essence is to help illuminate the past as a way to shed light on the future. The society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing.