By SALINA POST
LINDSBORG - Two recently announced grants will help with restoration projects at the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum.
Swedish Pavilion porch project
The museum has received a $20,000 grant from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation of San Francisco, Calif., to be used to repair the badly deteriorating porch on the 119-year-old Swedish Pavilion.
Barbro Sachs-Osher, chair of the foundation, said that on the occasions she has visited Lindsborg, it felt like visiting Sweden itself, with a Dala horse around every corner. She said the museum had an important role in keeping Swedish traditions alive in the region, which is why the foundation selected the repair project for the grant.
“There is a Swedish legacy in Kansas and in Lindsborg in particular,” she said. “Without by the history, we are nowhere and this is an important legacy in the Midwest. When we were there, we were deeply touched by how you keep the Swedish history and legacy up to date in keeping the Swedish history of Lindsborg.”
Smoky Valley Roller Mills restoration project
The museum also received an $87,350 grant from the Heritage Trust Fund to be used for the restoration of the historic 1898 Smoky Valley Roller Mills. The state program, under the Kansas Historical Society, provides matching grants to help preserve historic locations in the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places or the Register of Historic Kansas Places, according to information provided by the museum.
“With 2023 marking the 125th anniversary of the construction of the mill, this is a wonderful recognition of the Old Mill’s historical value,” said Lenora Lynam, executive director of the museum. “These funds provide essential support and will allow us to make important repairs to preserve this treasure on the Smoky Hill River.”
The grant must be matched at 20 percent by the grant recipient. The museum secured funds for that match when it received $20,000 in grant funding from the McPherson County Community Foundation in early November, the museum noted.