Thanks to the support from State Senator, Andy Dinniman, several important cultural organizations from Chester County will receive a significant financial boost. The senator’s office announced on Friday that a total of $81,232 in  funding will be awarded to local museums by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, writes Justin Heinze for Patch.

Chester County Historical Society received the highest grant of $17,711, with Historic Yellow Springs being awarded second largest amount of $10,349. The other five beneficiaries, American Helicopter Museum and Education Center, Graystone Society, Wharton Esherick Museum, Historic Sugartown, and Mill at Anselma, all received grants ranging from $4,000 to $9,000.

Additional grants were awarded to several Chester County organizations by the Keystone Historic Preservation Grant program. According to Dinniman’s office, these grants are used to finance preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration activities for those historic sites which are eligible for or already listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The two Chester County organizations that have been awarded KHP grants are Historic Sugartown, which received $16,000 to restore the East Porch of its Sharpless Worrall House, and the Friends Association for the Care and Protection of Children, which received $5,100 for a two decade maintenance plan for two historic buildings.

“Our history is very much alive in Chester County thanks largely to historical organizations, societies, and museums that ensure that it is well-documented and preserved for the new generation,” said Dinniman, adding that each of the selected organizations adds to the quality of life in Chester County in a unique way by teaching about the past and preparing for the future.