Caring for Collections

Posted: January 2, 2016

The Chippewa Valley Museum recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support the preservation of artifacts at the historic Schlegelmilch House in downtown Eau Claire. The $5,250 Preservation Assistance Grant will allow the museum to purchase materials to ensure the continued protection of artifacts original to the house and distinct to the Chippewa Valley.

"NEH provides support for projects across America that preserve our heritage, promote scholarly discoveries, and make the best of America's humanities ideas available to all Americans," said NEH Chairman William D. Adams. "We are proud to announce this latest group of grantees who, through their projects and research, will bring valuable lessons of history and culture to Americans."

The Chippewa Valley Museum will use the grant funds to purchase window shades, storage shelving equipment, and re-housing supplies to preserve the collections in the Schlegelmilch House, a 1871 to 1906 merchant's home that reflects middle-class domestic life during Eau Claire's lumber boom. Collection items include furniture made by Herman Schlegelmilch, the German immigrant who built the house, an 1875 diary by 13-year-old Louise Schlegelmilch, and paintings by regional artist S.O. Lund that were collected by the family.

The house and collections are central to the Chippewa Valley Museum's interpretive programs for students, including working with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's public history classes to examine issues related to public programs, interpretation, historic preservation, and site.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.

Back to all news

Send this blog post to someone:

SUBMIT