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libraries

$10K state preservation grant funds historic library’s new roof

$10K state preservation grant funds historic library’s new roof

The historic Hughes Memorial Library will soon be getting a new roof thanks to a $10,000 matching grant received by the West Cornwall Library Association from Preservation Connecticut in partnership with The 1777 Foundation.

Debra A. Aleksinas

CORNWALL — The aging roof at the historic Hughes Memorial Library in West Cornwall, which evolved from a one-room schoolhouse built in 1845, will soon be replaced thanks to a $10,000 historic matching grant from Preservation Connecticut in partnership with The 1772 Foundation.

The West Cornwall Library Association was one of 17 nonprofit organizations statewide to receive grants totaling $136,818.

Awards ranged from $1,213 to $10,000 for eligible projects, such as roof replacement, chimney repairs, security and fire safety, window restoration and masonry repointing.

“The board of directors of the Hughes Memorial Union were thrilled to receive the matching grant from The 1772 Foundation,” said Program Director Libby Mitchell.

“The funds will be used to replace the roof of the Hughes Memorial Library and will be matched by board member Pamela Hughes in honor of her grandfather, Frederick Hughes, who donated the building to the organization in 1941.”

The Hughes Memorial Union is a community hub that promotes learning, work, wellness and the local economy. It encompasses not only The Hughes Memorial Library, which serves as an art exhibit and event space, but also The Local, a market for farmers and artisans and The Union, a venue for collaborating.

According to the Town of Cornwall website, the Hughes Memorial Library is descended from the Social Library Society in the Town of Cornwall, established Nov. 5, 1806. Originally it was located in homes, the chapel in West Cornwall and then the West Cornwall Fire House. In 1940 the library moved to the West Cornwall School on Lower River Road, which had closed with the opening of the Consolidated School.

Additional Litchfield County grant recipients include the Gunn Memorial Library and Museum in Washington, Connecticut, which received a $5,220 matching grant for upgrades at The Gunn Memorial Museum. Also, the Merwinsville Hotel Restoration Inc. in the Gaylordsville section of New Milford received a $10,000 grant for exterior painting at the historic hotel.

Preservation Connecticut is the statewide nonprofit historic preservation organization, established in 1975 by a Special Act of the Connecticut General Assembly as the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. Its mission is to preserve, protect and promote the buildings, sites, and landscapes that contribute to the heritage and vitality of Connecticut’s communities.

The 1772 Foundation was named in honor of its first restoration project, Liberty Hall in Union, New Jersey, which was built in 1772 and is the ancestral home of the Livingston and Kean families.

The foundation works to ensure the safe passage of historic buildings and farmland to future generations.

Debra A. Aleksinas
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