Grant Awarded

Milford Historical Society RECEIVES SAVE OUR HISTORY GRANT FROM The History Channel®

The History Channel and Comcast Support Preservation Initiative That Links The Milford Historical Society with Huron Valley Schools

The History Channel, with the counsel of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) and American Association of State and Local History (AASLH), created the Save Our History Grant Program as an extension of the Save Our History philanthropic initiative and is committed to inspiring and motivating local communities to learn about and take an active role in the preservation of their past through projects involving artifacts, oral histories, sites, museums or landmarks that exist in their own neighborhoods.  In four years, 1,934 historic organizations, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia have applied for funding through the Save Our History Grant Program. To date, The History Channel and its cable partners have given $1 million dollars to fund community preservation projects across the country. 

Milford's “Powerhouse” was designed by Albert Kahn and built by Ford Motor Company in 1939 to provide hydroelectric power for a new carburetor factory. These buildings comprised Henry Ford's twelfth Village Industry, one of 19 factory sites where Ford converted historic mill sites to generate power as part of his experiment to employ farm workers in small factories throughout Southeast Michigan. (For more information on the Powerhouse, go to milfordpowerhouse.com or milfordhistory.org.)

The students will work with the historical society to learn about Ford’s Village Industries in the larger context of Michigan’s auto industry. Within the framework of state and local curriculum guidelines, they will work toward producing a DVD about the Powerhouse, creating some of the following as elements for the video: poetry, visual arts, photographs, essays, videos, walking tour, oral histories, web-based virtual museum, 3-D models and renderings.   With support from technical professionals and educators, the students will be responsible for content and credited with authorship. The completed DVD will be available for use within the schools and for visitors of the Powerhouse and the community at large.

The Historical Society will interact with students providing their links to outside resources, academics, and local preservationists as well as persons in the community with their own recollections and memories to tell about the building.  The History Channel Grant will fund expenses for this in-depth hands-on experience, including field trips, materials and supplies.

In addition to this project, The History Channel is also awarding Save Our History grants to historic organizations in Alaska, Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont and Wisconsin.

“The History Channel receives stacks of applications for Save Our History grants,” said Dr. Libby O’Connell, SVP, Corporate Outreach and Chief Historian, The History Channel. “The Milford Historical Society demonstrated the creativity and commitment to preservation and education that we believe is fundamental to giving our past a bright future.”

About Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors is an independent, nonprofit service that helps donors to create thoughtful, effective philanthropy throughout the world. RPA provides research and counsel on charitable giving, develops philanthropic programs, and offers complete program, administrative and management services for foundations and trusts.  In 2006, RPA advised on and managed more than $150 million in annual giving in more than 30 countries.  For more information visit www.rockpa.org.

About AASLH

AASLH was born in 1904 as a part of the American Historical Association. Over one hundred years later, AASLH is the only national association dedicated to the people and organizations that practice state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to all Americans. These history organizations are American leaders in preserving, researching, and interpreting traces of the past to connect the people, thoughts, and events of yesterday with the creative memories and abiding concerns of people, communities, and our nation today.  History organizations are foremost education institutions, and they excel in creating the enlightened, engaged citizenry that the founders envisioned. From its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, AASLH provides a variety of programs and services, as well as leadership in the national arena.

About Save Our History Educational Materials
The History Channel, in collaboration with leading educators from the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), developed a comprehensive Educator’s Manual containing standards-based lesson plans, enrichment activities, and resources that help elementary, middle and high school teachers connect American History content to their local history.  The manual guides teachers to engage students in hands-on, experiential preservation projects.  The Educator’s Manual is supplemented by monthly Save Our History lesson plans available to educators who register online to receive them at www.saveourhistory.com.  To date, more than 60,000 educators at schools, youth groups, history museums, and historic sites have used the educational materials to teach over 1.8 million students about their local history and the importance of preserving it.

About Save Our History 

Save Our History is an Emmy® Award-winning strategic philanthropic initiative of The History Channel that launched in 1998, designed to further historic preservation and history education.  The program supplements the teaching of history in America’s classrooms, educates the public on the importance of historical preservation and motivates communities across the country to help save endangered local historic treasures.  The Save Our History campaign includes original documentaries, special teachers materials, national promotion on The History Channel, broadband activities in schools, and has worked with The Smithsonian Institution, National Park Service, National Trust for Historic Preservation, National World War II Memorial, American Rivers and The White House 200th Anniversary. 

Additional information about the grassroots Save Our History program, including a comprehensive school manual containing suggested lesson plans for grades two through 12 and details about working with local preservation organizations can also be found at www.saveourhistory.com.  

THE HISTORY CHANNEL

The History Channel® is a leading cable television network featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms.  The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy® Awards, ten News & Documentary Emmy® Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History® campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 93 million Nielsen subscribers. The website is located at www.History.com.