Austin, Texas – Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) announced today that two projects in Newton County will be awarded grants from the Texas Preservation Trust Fund (TPTF), a program of the Texas Historical Commission (THC).

The Texas Purple Hull Pea Festival - Symposium on Texas Freedmen's Communities was awarded $6.150 to preserve the site's history through a heritage education grant and the Addie J. and A.T. Odom Homestead was awarded a preservation grant of $2,710.

"Through the combination of state and private contribution through the Texas Preservation Trust Fund, these grants are made possible, said Nichols. "I would like to congratulate these organizations and the hard work they are doing to ensure the history of our state is preserved for generations to come."

The THC selected 23 preservation projects from 33 project proposal applicants to be recipients of the 2015 TPTF grants awards totaling $530,000.

The 71st Texas Legislature created the TPTF in 1989 to allow a stable source of funding to be developed to assist preservation efforts throughout the state. The fund is currently managed by the Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company. The TPTF investment earnings are distributed as matching grants to qualified applicants for the acquisition, survey, restoration, preservation, planning and heritage education activities leading to the preservation of historic properties and archeological sites/collections. Competitive grants are awarded on a one-to-one match basis and are paid as reimbursement of eligible expenses incurred.

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