The Underground Railroad Society of Cass County (URSCC) has been named as the 2012 recipient of the Evans Historic Preservation Award by the Michigan Architectural Foundation.
This prestigious award comes with a grant of $7,500, which will be used to restore the mansard roof on the Bonine House entrance tower.
Named in honor of historic preservation architect David Evans, the goal of the award is to promote the practice of historic preservation and to give encouragement and support to not-for-profit community groups seeking to restore important resources.
Criteria for the award include preserving an historic property that may otherwise be lost.
The Evans Award Committee met March 29 to consider entries from all over the state, then called URSCC Treasurer and first-time grant writer, Cathy LaPointe, to say they had been chosen.
“To say I was shocked would be an understatement; actually I kind of embarrassed myself, I couldn’t stop screaming and thanking them,” she said. “The head of the committee actually turned to the group and said ‘it’s their first grant.’ ”
“The grant portion of the award is wonderful, and very much needed,” LaPointe said. “Together with our matching funds we’ll be able to restore the tower roof this summer. But more than the money, we so appreciate the recognition by MAF of the mission and goals of The Underground Railroad Society of Cass County. The Bonine House and Carriage House are not only architecturally important, they represent a legacy of freedom, and an amazing story of compassion and courage that took place in a community unique in the world.”
For more information on URSCC, the Underground Railroad in Cass County and the Bonine House, go to www.urscc.org.