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Home My WebLink AboutJefferson County Historical Society re: County Cemetery research and development - $10,000Thursday, February 9, 2023 Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners 1820 Jefferson Street Port Townsend, WA 98368 Dear Commissioners, In response to your call for proposals for remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, we are seeking support of $10,000 to build on work JCHS was able to undertake with previous support from Jefferson 10,000 commitment for in-depth research in 2022 into the history of the County Cemetery has helped uncover new information about this county-owned property and identify opportunities for public outreach and strategic collecting that we are ready to pursue. Our proposal for $10,000 would support two critical pieces of follow-up on th research investment. Both components described below are intended to build on the 2022 research by working to include and center diverse experiences in the stories we share about Jefferson County history. Cemetery Panel Discussion $4,330 of our request will support an October public program and marketing the program to a wide audience. The program features three regional experts on historic cemeteries, including Reed Barry, the JCHS Collections and Research Assistant and Principal Researcher on the County Cemetery Research Project, Cassie Chin, Deputy Director of the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, and a representative from CINARC (Chinese in Northwest America Research Committee). Each panelist will speak to the importance of cemeteries in helping us uncover the history and contributions of Chinese and Chinese Americansonce representing 25% of the immigrant community in early Port Townsend and a community tied to the County Cemetery through primary source materials. In addition to educating the public about the importance of cemetery preservation and regional Chinese histories, this program will introduce attendees to some of the in-depth findings . Collecting Oral Histories & Writing Biographies The remaining $5,670 of our request will support a project dedicated to collecting oral histories and researching and writing biographies related to people buried in the County Cemetery. These may include biographies researched and written about individuals buried there and oral histories with descendants, extended families, or people with adjacent lived experiences. This effort to expand our collection will begin to rectify gaps in historical records that pose the biggest barriers to presenting a broader array of stories in our new exhibitions at the Jefferson Museum. It will also allow us to continue work already underway as part of a 2023 We have provided a budget that includes additional project details along with this letter and would be happy to discuss this request in more detail if needed. We deeply appreciate the past and thank you for considering this request that would build on your foundation of support. Warmly, Shelly Leavens Executive Director www.jchsmuseum.org 540 Water Street, Port Townsend, Washington 98368 Through collections, research, exhibits, and programs, we bring people together to share, learn, and be inspired by Jefferson County arts and heritage. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit: EIN 91-6013489. Jefferson County 2023 ARPA Funds Request // Cemetery Research Program & Collecting Jefferson County Historical Society $XXX¨;£MҏN;zJź$£¨$ҏҏXNz;XN#£TzX COMPONENT DESCRIPTION/BUDGET ?XJ X*XXź?JZZAX $400 honoraria budget: Two $200 panelist honoraria $1,000 travel budget: Travel and accommodation stipends $1,900 for two regional panelists 20 hours staff time, planning, coordination, and presentation at $25 per hour 2¥XXJź>XNTz Livestream and closed-captioned event recording for public $1,300 Cemetery Research access Panel Discussion EX£X>XJҏ October 2023 Discounted Maritime Meeting Room space rental and A/V Level 1 $330 package from Northwest Maritime Center for October program 5J Xz Printed flyers $800 Postcard mailing to 1,000 community members Print and digital ad in the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader Subtotal $4,330 ?JZZAX Estimated 235 project hours at $22 per hour Collecting Oral $5,170 180 project hours researching and writing biographies (12- 20 individual biographies) Histories & Writing 60 project hours including travel, collecting, indexing, and Biographies cataloguing oral histories (4-6 individual interviews) Anticipated start of (JXT;J¨ҏҏAJ§X November 2023 $500 Subtotal $5,670 TOTAL BUDGET $10,000 Additional Details Cemetery Research Panel Discussion - Consistent with most JCHS adult programs offered since 2021, this October program will be offered in-person and via livestream by suggested donation. Registration will be handled through our event ticketing platform (SimpleTix). Collecting Oral Histories & Writing Biographies Project hours are based on estimates currently being used to conduct similar strategic collecting work. We anticipate this work will begin in 2023 and can be completed over 3-5 months depending on capacity of staff assigned to this project. This project will help JCHS retain existing research and collections staff on a part-time basis.