The Foundation supports programs throughout the world in three areas: A.Preservation and restoration of historic sites and objects; B.Interpretation of historic sites, objects and events; and C.Preservation of the historic record through research, oral histories, archival work, training of curators and personnel, and dissemination of the historic record through conferences and publications.

[The links on the lower left take you to archived Historic grants.]


Abbey of New Clairvaux, Vina, California
Grant for the Abbey's Sacred Stones project. In the 1930s William Randolph Hearst acquired the 13th century Cistercian Spanish monastery of Santa Maria de Ovila with the intention of reconstructing the monastery on his properties in California. The monastery was dismantled and the stones were sent to San Francisco where they were stored pending transportation to a Julia Morgan designed structure on one of Hearst's ranches on the McCloud River in Northern California. With the Depression in the 1930s, the project never proceeded. For many years the stones were stored behind the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park where they were vandalized and utilized in various construction projects in the Bay Area. In 1991, the remaining stones were given by the City of San Francisco to the Cistercian Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina, California. The Abbey is reconstructing the chapter house portion of the monastery with the stones still available for use. This grant following previous grants will assist in the process of reconstructing the chapter house which will be incorporated into the Abbey's religious buildings. The fountain in the Chapter House's patio has been dedicated to the Foundation in recognition of the Foundation's support of this project.
           $10,000.00

Hangtown's Gold Bug Park, Inc., Placerville, California
Continued support for the interpretive program at the award winning Gold Bug Park, a California historical park of the gold rush era.
           $7,500.00

Historic Churches Preservation Trust, London, England
Grant to support conservation and preservation projects at rural churches in England. The funds will be used as part of a matching program to encourage local support to preserve historic country parish churches, many of whose congregations have been reduced to very small numbers due to population shifts since the time of the church's construction in the medieval era.
           $10,000.00

Institute of Nautical Archeology, College Station, Texas
Grant to support Persian War Shipwrecks archeological project. The Institute will conduct a survey of the waters off the Southeastern tip of Mount Athos Peninsula in Greece in search of Darius' Fleet that sank there in a violent storm in 492 B.C. as reported by Herodotus in his history. It is hoped that field work will discover the sites of the shipwrecks.
           $7,500.00

TOTAL:  $35,000.00