Rockingham Meeting House gets $750,000 restoration grant

Rockingham has received a $750,000 grant from the National Park Service to help on-going efforts to restore and conserve its meeting house. Built in 1787 it is the most intact 18th-century public building remaining in Vermont.

“The town is thrilled,” said John Leppman, chairman of the Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission. “We knew from the start in 2022 we were faced with  many challenges to make sure that future generations can experience the simple yet elegant majesty of our first town hall. With this funding in place we are poised to  move forward.”

Rehabilitation of the Rockingham Meeting House is being supported in part by a Semiquincentennial grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. The program is an initiative  commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

Other support includes town capital reserve funds, philanthropy and a National Park Service Save America’s Treasures grant. Created by Congress in 2020 and funded through the Historic Preservation Fund, Semiquincentennial Grants fund projects that restore and preserve sites and structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places that commemorate the founding of the nation.

Grants from the program’s third year will support 19 historic preservation projects across nine states.Walter Wallace, Historic Preservation  Commission coordinator, said, “Other projects supported in this funding round include Boston’s Old North Church, George Washington’s headquarters in Newburg, New York, and Fort Ticonderoga. We are in good company. This grant will help our region and state to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.”’

Questions and comments about the Semiquincentennial grant, the Rockingham Meeting House preservation project, and fundraising may be directed to the Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission, Rockingham Town Hall, P.O. Box 370, Bellows Falls, VT 05101, or by email at clg@rockbf.org. Project updates can be found at rockinghamvt.org/rmh.