Two Utah projects to receive money as 'America's Treasures'

An eleventh of all of the nation's "Save America's Treasures" grant money this year is going to two Utah projects: preserving the anthropology collections at the Utah Museum of Natural History; and saving a hangar in Wendover where U.S. airmen trained to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

The two Utah projects will take $950,000 of the $10.52 million split by 40 projects nationally in the grant program, according to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities and the National Park Service.

"Projects funded by Save America's Treasures represent some of the most cherished icons of American history and culture," said First Lady Laura Bush, honorary chairman of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

"President Bush and I want to ensure that our historic properties, artifacts and communities throughout the nation continue to be preserved and enjoyed by future generations," she said.

Among other groups that won part of the competitive grants were $200,000 to help preserve St. John's Church, known as "the church of the presidents," near the White House; $137,500 for archaeological collections at Historic Jamestowne, Va.; $150,000 for Old Fort Niagara in New York; $61,299 to preserve documents at Valley Forge National Historical Park; and $125,000 for the World War II submarine USS Becuna, the last of her class, in Philadelphia.

The administration announced giving $500,000 for the Utah Museum of Natural History, noting that it "cares for anthropological collections that are of national significance. The origins of these collections date to the late 19th century, and today the museum is the steward of nearly 1 million archaeological and 3,000 ethnographic objects."

The announcement said the artifacts are dispersed in rooms and a warehouse that "lack seismic upgrades and have antiquated heating and air conditioning systems. Grant funds will be used to clean, stabilize and prepare the anthropology collections for the move to a new facility and for purchase of museum-quality metal cabinets to house the significant holdings."

Another $450,000 is going to the Historic Wendover Airfield to "save the building used during World War II as the focal point for development of the project code-named 'Silverplante,' which prepared the United States for deployment of the atomic weapons that ended the war with Japan," the announcement said.

Part of the building served as the hangar for the "Enola Gay," the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

"The grant funds will be used to re-roof the metal hangar portion of the building, re-roof the north and south operations offices and shops, and provide siding and windows for the building," the award announcement said.

The grants program is now in its 10th year. It received applications from 221 groups this year.

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