Neponset Historical Society puts $5,000 grant to good use with upgrades

Dave Clarke
·3 min read
An exhibit of paintings of local scenes by Neponset native Lloyd Twing, many temporarily on loan by private individuals, is now on display at the Neponset Historical Museum, which recently received a $5,000 Illinois Humanities grant. In the photo are, from left, volunteers Julie Witte, Carolyn Miller and Jessica Seiden.
An exhibit of paintings of local scenes by Neponset native Lloyd Twing, many temporarily on loan by private individuals, is now on display at the Neponset Historical Museum, which recently received a $5,000 Illinois Humanities grant. In the photo are, from left, volunteers Julie Witte, Carolyn Miller and Jessica Seiden.

It started with a postcard in the mail and ended with a $5,000 grant to help the Neponset Historical Society make up for fundraisers cancelled during the pandemic.

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"Last summer, my dad and I applied for a grant to help out the Neponset Historical Society," said Jessica Seiden, referring to a postcard the historical society received from a non-profit organization, Illinois Humanities.

Bowen, who is president of the Neponset Historical Society, asked his daughter, a Neponset High School graduate who is now a guidance counselor at Wethersfield Junior/Senior High School, for help in filling out the grant application. Applicants were being sought for $1.4 million in funds to support organizations in communities hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds are meant to serve entities often by-passed by traditional funding streams due to their size, organizational capacity, or geographical location. Illinois Humanities is a statewide non-profit organization that, according to its website, "activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen community engagement by providing free, high quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois."

The emergency relief and recovery grants were provided for general operations through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grants were awarded to 254 organizations in 72 counties throughout the state, including the Stark County Historical Society in Toulon and public libraries in Wyanet and Walnut.

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The Neponset Historical Society maintains a museum which serves the village of 475 residents and the surrounding community. The all-volunteer group was formed in 1982 and in 2010 purchased the building where Dr. William Bertelsen invented the first hovercraft in the 1960s. Bertelsen, a medical doctor by profession and inventor in his spare time, pioneered in the field of air-cushion vehicles, and was the inventor of the Aeromobile, which is credited as the first hovercraft to carry a human over land and water.

"We usually have fundraisers throughout the year to pay for bills, maintenance and updates," said Seiden, "but because of the pandemic, these fundraisers were unable to occur and we felt like we needed to do something to help this local treasure of ours stay intact."

Museum curator Adam Kelly said even though they were unable to hold their normal hours or fundraisers at Neponset Picnic Day and other events due to the COVID lockdown, they were able to open, on a limited basis, when health guidelines allowed, for visitors, some coming from as far away as Chicago and southern Illinois to donate items or research family history.

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Kelly, who has read the society's minutes going back to the first meeting in 1982, said this is the first time they have applied for a grant.

"Back in those days, the members thought local support was all they needed and that seeking outside support might have strings attached," said Kelly.

That is not the case with the $5,000 grant the group received a few weeks ago. He said the money will pay for a new furnace and some painting and sprucing up in the museum where their Bertelsen Collection is being moved to a larger room. The grant will also help them recover the money paid out for utilities over the past two years while no money from their normal fundraisers was coming in.

"We are excited to be investing in your work and your continued efforts during this particularly difficult period," wrote Mark Hellett, Illinois Humanities Director of Grants Programs in his e-mail to the Neponset group informing them that their request had been approved.

The museum, in downtown Neponset, is back to its normal hours of 10 to 12 p.m. every Wednesday. Tours for schools, class reunions, clubs, organizations, families and individuals are available during those hours or by appointment by calling 309-854-2332.

This article originally appeared on Star Courier: Neponset Historical Society puts $5,000 grant to good use with upgrades