Recipients of the Indiana Historic Preservation Award, which recognizes outstanding efforts in the field of historic preservation, have been announced by the DNR Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA).
As the State Historic Preservation Office, the DHPA oversees the federally funded Historic Preservation Fund grant program, the federal Reinvestment Historic Tax Credit program, and the state's Historic Homeowner Tax Credit program. The agency also functions as Indiana's central repository for historic structures and archaeological site records.
Here are the recipients:
Cheryl Ann Munson is an archaeologist and Research Scientist Emerita in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University-Bloomington. She has completed important archaeological research and field investigations at Indiana sites for decades and has worked to improve archaeological outreach. Her research focus has been understanding the last precontact cultures to inhabit southern Indiana and the Ohio Valley and led to the definition of the late Mississippian Caborn-Welborn phase (AD 1400-1650).
The Powers Church and Cemetery Association will be recognized for its rehabilitation of the bell tower and steeple of Powers Church. The church is named after four Powers brothers who settled in Steuben County in the late 1830s. The area became a thriving community, centered around a sawmill, a general store, a grist mill, and the church built in 1876. By the 1920s, the village was dwindling, and the church was closed up and abandoned. The association acquired the building in 1976. In 2019, the association applied for and received a Historic Preservation Fund grant to assist with the rehabilitation, which it completed. The church displays an intact interior and is popular for weddings, family reunions, and other gatherings. The association also hosts several non-denominational services throughout the year despite the lack of electricity, indoor heating, or plumbing.
The Garfield Park Neighbors Beautification & Walkability Committee in Indianapolis will be recognized for its efforts to nominate the Garfield Drive Historic District in Indianapolis for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The group led public meetings, research, writing, mapping, and photography efforts, a multi-year initiative that resulted in the district's listing. Bordered by Raymond Street, Shelby Street, East Garfield Drive and South Garfield Drive, the district is a significant example of how transportation and the Kessler Park and Boulevard Plan of 1909 helped shape the growth of Indianapolis.
Categories: Indiana, Government & Policy