Historic African American sites land preservation grants
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Nine historic African American sites throughout the state are the recipients of a total of $150,000 in grants from two funds founded by the late Stan Cox, the first Black chemist at Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE: LLY). Indiana Landmarks said Monday the funding will support restoration and rehabilitation of each site.
The funds come from the Standiford H. Cox Fund and the Dovie Stewart Cox & Chester A. Cox Sr. Memorial Fund.
The first fund was created to support “the restoration, preservation, operation, and ongoing maintenance of African American historic sites in Indiana,” according to Indiana Landmarks. The second, named in honor of Cox’s parents, was established to support Lost Creek Community Grove at the Lost Creek Settlement near Terre Haute. The settlement was one of the first in the state for free people of color.
Stan Cox, who passed away in 2019, established the funds in partnership with the Central Indiana Community Foundation.
“Partnering with Indiana Landmarks allows us to honor Stan’s legacy by caring for sites that are important to our state’s Black history,” said Brian Payne, president & CEO at CICF.
The grant recipients include:
- African American Historical Society and Museum, Fort Wayne: $7,500 to install a more energy efficient heating system in the c.1909 duplex that houses the museum.
- Allen Chapel AME Church, Indianapolis: $17,500 to repoint masonry on the north façade of the 1865 church, restoring sections along the cornice and parapet.
- Friends of Division Street School, Inc., New Albany: $7,500 for structural repairs to the back steps and accessible ramp into the school, built in 1884 for Black students in the city’s east end.
- Lyles Station Historic Preservation Corporation, Inc., Gibson County: $40,000 to repair clapboard siding and windows, rebuild the porch, and repaint the c.1900 house built for Joseph Lucas, a principal at Lyles Station.
- Roberts Chapel Homecoming and Burial Association, Inc., Atlanta: $9,250 to repair soffits, foundation, and two damaged pews at the 1858 church, and aid conservation of three gravestones in the adjacent cemetery.
- St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Gary: $14,500 to install a high-efficiency furnace in the 1959 church, designed by Modernist architect Edward Dart.
- Stewart Lawn Cemetery, Inc., Vigo County: $14,500 to replace the fence surrounding Stewart Lawn Cemetery and resurface the road traversing the property. The cemetery has a high percentage of African American burial sites; most are descendants of the nearby Lost Creek Settlement.
- Turner Chapel AME Church, Fort Wayne: $20,000 to replace the roof on the 1927 Gothic Revival-style church.
Indiana Landmarks says the deadline for the next round of grants is April 1, 2023.