Iowa State’s Farm House Museum received a $92,000 Historical Site Preservation Grant from the State Historical Society of Iowa last week.

Terri Hasselman, University Museums director of development, said the grant money, combined with about $228,000 raised by the ISU Foundation, will go toward exterior conservation of the 138-year-old house located on campus.

“It became apparent in the last three years that repairs were needed,” Hasselman said. “The structure is very sound. However, if we did not make these corrections, the water would eventually damage the support of the house.”

The $320,000 project will include replacing damaged stucco on the exterior of the house, rebuilding the west porch and installing a new roof in the same style as the original.

“I’m really proud that they realized that the house was that level of historic caliber that they gave us the grant,” Hasselman said. “It is showing serious signs of wear, and if we did not act on it, we would definitely have problems.”

According to a press release, trustees of the State Historical Society approved 11 grants for more than $1.4 million out of 89 total applicants asking for about $10.9 million.

The grant program, which was started by the Iowa Legislature, designates the grants specifically for the restoration, repair, installation and acquisition of Iowa historical monuments and sites.

“The Legislature saw a need for historic preservation projects and granted a competitive grants program,” said Kathy Gourley, field historian at the State Historical Society of Iowa. “We’ve known that there was a need for a long time. It was agreed that [Farm House] was an important project, and they allocated funding to it.”

Funding for the preservation grants came from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund, which was started about four years ago.

In order for property to be eligible for the grants, it must either interpret Iowa history or be on the national register of historical sites.

The grant requires work done by the allotted money to be completed by June 30, 2001, according to a press release.

Hasselman said work on the Farm House Museum is scheduled to start next spring and should be completed by the end of the summer.

“I think because we are conserving the exterior of the house, we will be able to use it for a number of years,” Hasselman said. “It’s just being a good steward of our property so we can continue to use it for future students.”

Gourley said it is uncertain whether additional grants will be dispersed next year, but she hopes the program will continue.

“We certainly will be doing everything we can to ask the Legislature to continue this granting mechanism,” Hasselman said.

In addition to Ames, preservation grants were received by Dubuque County Historical Society, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum of Decorah, Brucemore Mansion of Cedar Rapids, Cass County Mormon Trails Association of Lewis, African American Heritage Foundation of Cedar Rapids, Iowa Jewish Historical Society of Des Moines, Iowa Railroad Historical Society of Boone, Linn County Historical Society and Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation in Lyon County.