CAZENOVIA — The Friends of Lorenzo (FOL) recently won a $43,000 Park and Trail Partnership Grant to create an electronic aid designed to make it easier to locate items in Lorenzo State Historic Site’s vast archive of historical photos, maps, letters, posters, and other documents.
The grant, which is sponsored by Parks & Trails New York (PTNY), was announced on July 28.
“The archives are a hidden treasure of information on Cazenovia, Central New York, and the history of the United States” said Lorenzo Site Manager Michael Roets in an Aug. 3 press release. “And making the archive more accessible for residents, historians, and others has been a long-standing priority of mine.”
According to Roets, Lorenzo’s collection of documents and objects is one of the largest in the New York State Parks system. The electronic catalogue will provide an easy, computer-based aid to navigating the archives and finding materials of interest. Later stages of the project will involve scanning the documents to create digital images that can be linked to the electronic finding aid.
The grant award represents the culmination of a yearlong effort by the FOL.
“Organizing the project and seeking funding has been a group effort enjoying wide support from the board and the state’s site management team,” said Mark Musell, the board’s project leader. “Members of the community were actively involved, including local resident Cara Howe, one of Upstate Medical University’s chief archivists, who generously contributed hours of professional expertise to guide and direct the effort.”
Jackie Roshia, Lorenzo’s interpretive programs assistant, also helped guide the effort.
“The archives are history written as experienced by the family that occupied Lorenzo since the early 1800s and told through their letters, calendars, journals and photos,” Roshia said. “The board’s project will make that history more accessible to all.”
The Lorenzo team expects the project to be completed sometime early next year, at which time the FOL will provide free access to the electronic finding aid through its website.
Park and Trail Partnership Grants, which are administered by PTNY in partnership with the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, are funded through the state Environmental Protection Fund. The grants support a variety of partner efforts, from raising private funds for capital projects and performing maintenance and beautification activities, to providing educational programming and promoting public use of parks through hosting special events.
According to an Aug. 2 PTNY press release, grant recipients must match the state funding by at least 10 percent of the grant amount received.
This round, PTNY awarded a total of $900,000 to 30 non-profit “friends” organizations that steward and champion NYS parks, trails, historic sites, and public lands.
“With more and more people discovering the outdoors, and visitation to our parks, trails, and public lands soaring, the need for strong public/public partnerships has never been greater,” said PTNY Executive Director Robin Dropkin in the press release. “The Park and Trail Partnership Grants help bolster the role of Friends groups in these vital partnerships.”
For more information on PTNY, visit ptny.org.
Located at 17 Rippleton Rd., Lorenzo is the 1807 Federal style home of Holland Land Company agent and Cazenovia founder John Lincklaen. The Lincklaen/Ledyard family continually occupied Lorenzo until the property and its contents were conveyed to New York State in 1968. The site is operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and supported by the FOL.
Founded in 1975, the FOL is a non-profit organization with a mission to support and enrich the preservation and interpretation of the Lorenzo State Historic Site by inspiring community involvement and interest through programming, marketing and fundraising. The FOL is always searching for new board members. For more information on how to get involved, visit friendsoflorenzo.org or call 315-655-3200.
