Annual Meeting and Grant Awards
With funds generated from PNNMP’s own fundraising efforts combined with a grant generously provided by the Cole Trust, the PNNMP board agreed with their Grant Committee recommendations to proudly distribute over $5,000 in the aggregate to four worthy preservation endeavors spread across not only the covered region but by preservation matter type as well. Highlights of the award winners included:
1. The William Walker House – Reedville Fisherman’s Museum (Northumberland County) received a grant to support the creation of interpretive exhibits refecting the daily life of local fishing families of the late 19th century into the early 20th century. Gayle Sterrett, Vice President of the Board of Directors of the museum accepted the grant on behalf of the organization;
2. Lancaster Virginia Historical Society (Lancaster County) received a grant to assist in the structural repair and restoration of the Cornwell Store/Lancaster Women’s Club building. Karen Hart, Executive Director of the society, accepted the grant on behalf of the organization;
3. Foundation for Historic Christ Church, Inc. (Lancaster County) received a grant to support the preservation of Christ Church’s classical Ionic entablature. Robert Teagle, Executive Director of the foundation, accepted the grant on behalf of the organization; and finally
4. Wilton House (Westmoreland County) received a grant towards the restoration of the house’s staircase back to its Federal Period configuration. David Bostic, owner and primary contractor along with his wife Diane, accepted the grant. This grant was also the inaugural Edward J. White Memorial Preservation Award in honor of the recent passing of Mr. White who was a longtime member and officer of PNNMP as well as an avid historic preservationist. Mr. White considered the preservation and restoration of Wilton among one of the largest of its kind in the Northern Neck area in the last century.
All told, PNNMP has now handed out nearly $70,000 in historic preservation funds to over 60 recipients supporting various forms of historic preservation efforts in the Northern Neck area through our Grant Program since 2012. Grant committee chairman Mark DiRienz remarked that the organization had received a near record number of applications this year for grant consideration. “All applicants and their related projects were worthy of assistance but the four finalists were able to distinguish their requests just enough to set them apart from the others” said Mr. DiRienz.
In addition to handing out the awards, the group’s annual meeting also featured a guest speaker. Jeff Wright, who is the past president of Friends of Dragon Run, an organization dedicated to conserving the Dragon Run watershed in Virginia, shared a presentation on the use of the area by the indiginous people during the Bacon’s Rebellion of 1676. Mr. Wright also highlighted conservation efforts regarding Dragon Run, including the recent acquisition of over 650 acres of wildlife habitat along the sensitive natural area, one of the most ecologically intact landscapes on the East Coast. Mr. Wright’s passionate presentation was well received by the audience.
Grant Program Infor mation and Guidelines
PNNMP provides grants to residents and organizations in the Northern Neck (King George, Westmoreland, Richmond, Northumberland, and Lancaster counties) and in Essex and Middlesex counties for the preservation of historic structures and resource preservation including, but not limited to, documents, maps, prints, textiles, and paintings that preserve the heritage of the area. The total funding availability varies from year to year, but in the past grants have generally ranged from $200 to $2000. The deadline for receipt of grant applications for the current cycle is January 31, 2027. Grants are awarded in the spring at the March annual meeting. The grant recipient must be present (in person or virtually, depending on conditions) to receive the grant at that time.
If you have questions, please contact us! We’re always very interested in grant applications!
To apply, please fill out the application below and submit to the PNNMP Grant Committee at Post Office Box 691, Warsaw, VA 22572 or email to info@pnnmp.org with “Grant Application from [name of applicant]” in the subject line.
In 2025, PNNMP made grants
- to Stratford Hall for restoration of a flag remnant from the US Light Dragoons,
- to the Steamboat Era Museum for digitization of six vintage films about Chesapeake Bay steamboats,
- to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in King George for repair and restoration of the main entrance door, windows, and sills, and
- to Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society for restoration and conservation of two 18th century land grants for Revolutionay War service.
Some prior year grants have included
- a grant to the circa 1845 Lancaster Roller Mill, the oldest extant mill in Lancaster County, for preservation and stabilization,
- a grant to David Bostic to help repair the floor system support of two rooms at Wilton, a mid-18th century house in Westmoreland County,
- a grant to Stratford Hall for the conservation of a circa 1790 light green silk waistcoat,
owned by Thomas Lee Shippen (1765-1798), a grandson of Thomas Lee (1690-1750), the original owner of Stratford Hall, and
- a grant to Michele L. Brumfield, historic preservationist, for research and archival storage supplies for artifacts recovered from the Saddlery attic. The Saddlery, owned by the Town of Warsaw, was constructed in
1832-33. The building was used over the years for everything from a storehouse, to living quarters in the mid-19th century, and later as a medical office, post office, millinery shop and finally, as a law office. The recovered artifacts reflect several of the businesses that occupied the building in the late-19th to early-20th century. Once the research is complete, select artifacts will be on display for a limited time. 
In addition to grants, PNNMP undertakes direct projects related to historic preservation. In 2019, we contributed to the restoration of an important historic Glebe House in Essex County. In 2015, we launched a project to help stabilize and preserve Rochester House, an original 1746 building in Westmoreland County near Lyells that is listed on both the Virginia and the National Historic Registers. Another very significant past project was the publication of the book Historic Sites In Virginia’s Northern Neck & Essex County. PNNMP also excavated the burial vault of Samuel, Martha and Jeremiah Rust, who died between 1718 and 
1731. The vault’s history was researched and the vault itself was carefully documented, and then it was re-dedicated in a historical ceremony with some eighty-five persons in attendance and buried again in order to preserve it.