NPS Awards American Battlefield Protection Grant

Featured from The Papermaker, the Newsletter of Historic RittenhouseTown
Volume 17, Number 3

Many of you know after reading Volume II of Historic RittenhouseTown's Journal of History that this Early American manufacturing community was also the site of the 1777 American Revolutionary War Battle of Germantown. To mark this engagement, where a fierce artillery duel took place between American Patriots and the forces of the British Crown on that foggy October 4th morning, a special historical interpretive wayside marker will be placed within the RittenhouseTown National Historic Landmark District.

Partial funding for the project, a total of $6,800, was awarded by the National Park Service as part of their 21 American Battlefield Protection Grants for 2003 as announced by this federal agency's director Fran Mainella. This grant is keeping with the program's national mandate to assist in the preserving of significant battle sites from all military actions fought on this country's soil.

This program's goal is to safeguard and preserve significant American battlefield lands for present and future generations as symbols of individual and national heritage. Matching funds to complete this project are presently being sought from a wide range of foundations, governmental agencies and other sources.

Two gifts have already been received, one from the Lee E. & Phoebe A. Driscoll Family Foundation and the William Penn Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. If you would like to support this endeavor, please call Historic RittenhouseTown at (215)438-5711 or for additional information on the program itself, contact Kristen Stevens at the National Park Service (202)354-2037.

The Papermaker is the quarterly newsletter of Historic RittenhouseTown and is sent to all members.