MAGNOLIA SPRINGS, Ala. — Magnolia Springs Community Association was awarded a $2,000 grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation from Gwyn Turner Preservation Fund for Alabama. The seed grant funds will be used to hire a consultant to support the development of a Comprehensive Plan for the Preservation of the Magnolia Springs Community Hall.

The Community Hall, a 117-year-old building in the “heart of the Springs District” of Magnolia Springs, is in immediate need of preservation. Preservation activities to be identified in the Comprehensive Plan will ensure that the Hall will continue its legacy as a gathering place for the people of Magnolia Springs and surrounding communities in south Baldwin County for the next 100 years.

“Without organizations like the Magnolia Springs Community Association, communities and towns all across America would have a diminished sense of place,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “The National Trust for Historic Preservation is honored to provide a grant to the Magnolia Springs Community Association, which will use the funds to help preserve an important piece of our shared heritage.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation dispenses small grants for local projects through the National Trust Preservation Funds grant program. The grants range from $500 to $5,000 and have provided over $5.5 million dollars of funding since 2002. They are awarded to nonprofit groups, educational institutions and public agencies, and must be matched, at least dollar for dollar, with public or private funds. Preservation Funds grants are being used nationally for such wide-ranging activities as consultant services for rehabilitating buildings, technical assistance for tourism that promotes historic resources and educating children about their heritage. These grants are often the deciding factor on whether historic buildings or sites can be saved for future generations.

For more information on National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Funds grants, visit: www.PreservationNation.org/resources/find-funding/grants/.

For more information about the Magnolia Springs Community Association, contact Virginia Stone at the email address above. To support preservation of the treasured Community Hall, send your tax-deductible donations to Magnolia Springs Community Association, P.O. Box 6, Magnolia Springs, AL 36555.

About the National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation (www.PreservationNation.org) is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., nine regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories.