MILL HOLLOW HERITAGE ASSOCIATION RECEIVES $150,000 MATCHING GRANT FROM LCHIP

L-R: LCHIP Executive Director Digit Taylor, Helen Frink, MHHA, Gov. Sununu, Dan Bartlett and Jim Gruber, MHHA, Ellen Chase, daughter of Heman Chase, Amanda Merrill, LCHIP.

Photo by Perry Smith

ALSTEAD - Dec. 14, 2018 -- New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) has awarded the Mill Hollow Heritage Association (MHHA) a $150,000 matching grant to support its rehabilitation of Chase’s Mill, according to Sharon Spaulding, President of MHHA. 

LCHIP announced the awards Dec. 7 at a ceremony with Governor Sununu in Concord. Forty-two projects were awarded $3.9 million throughout the state.

“We are very appreciative of LCHIP’s investment in Chase’s Mill and in the oversight and guidance they provide related to historic preservation," Ms. Spaulding said. "We are honored by the trust they have placed in us and welcome their partnership in this exciting project.”

According to Ms. Spaulding, Chase’s Mill sits at the mouth of Lake Warren in Alstead. The building has foundation stones dating to 1767 and for most of the past 250 years, there has been a water-powered mill operating on this site. MHHA was formed in 2012 to purchase the mill with the intention of rehabilitating it and opening it to the community in the summer of 2020.

Shortly after purchasing the property in the fall of 2016, MHHA received a $100,000 grant from LCHIP. Through generous support from the community and other foundations, last year MHHA stabilized the building repairing its foundation and replacing its roof and dormers. Its waterworks were also restored. 

“This second grant from LCHIP will be used towards exterior repairs such as siding, windows, and repair of the dam," Ms. Spaulding noted. Additional repairs will include septic, electrical, and items needed for classes and workshops. "Our vision is to open in 2020 as a center for hands-on learning. We will host classes for children and adults on woodworking and related skills, and the upstairs room will be utilized for exhibits, and community gatherings. We hope to both preserve our heritage and inspire future generations.”

To learn more, visit: www.millhollowheritageassociation.org or on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ChasesMillinMillHollow/

About New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program

The New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program is an independent state authority that provides matching grants to New Hampshire communities and non-profits to protect and preserve the state’s most important natural, cultural and historic resources. Its legislatively mandated mission is to ensure the perpetual contribution of these resources to the economy, environment, and quality of life in New Hampshire. 

Prior to this year’s grant awards listed here, since its inception in 2000, the program has provided 425 grants which have helped to conserve more than 280,000 acres of land for food production, water quality, ecological values, timber management and recreation including hunting and fishing and supported 257 projects to rehabilitate historic structures and sites. Grants have been awarded in all parts of the state and in 157 of New Hampshire’s 234 communities. Forty-three million dollars of state money have led to a total project value of more than $299 million. LCHIP grants are supported by fees on four documents recorded at the Registry of Deeds in every county of the state. 

The forty-two projects receiving matching grants this year from LCHIP are spread across the state. Sixteen natural resource conservation projects will be supported by $2 million while twenty-six historic resource projects will receive $1.9 million, all in matching grants.

According to LCHIP, Historic resource projects will help with rehabilitation of structures ranging in date from 1721 (Ladd-Gilman House, Exeter) to 1916 (Whitcomb Hall, Swanzey). The natural resource projects will ensure permanent protection of more than 13,000 acres in parcels ranging from ten acres in Durham to over 6,000 acres in Gorham.

Grant recipients are required to provide at least one matching dollar from another source for every dollar received from the state through LCHIP. This year, they will provide more than $3.70 for each state dollar. The smallest grant is $7,500 for a planning study to help the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts to explore what is needed to convert the former Shrine of Our Lady of Grace into a cultural and arts center. The largest grant of $350,000 will help the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire create the Birch Ridge Community Forest in New Durham.

The eighteen-member LCHIP Board of Directors selects the grant recipients as the culmination of a rigorous application and review process. LCHIP’’s Board Chair, Amanda Merrill of Durham observes. “The LCHIP Board and staff have the responsibility and privilege of helping to protect natural, cultural and historic resources across New Hampshire. It is a pleasure to work with dedicated colleagues from local government, citizens groups and non-profits to preserve the places that make our state special.”

For more information visit www.lchip.org or call (603)224-4113.