SCHUMER DELIVERS $1.2 MILLION FOR CRITICAL REPAIRS TO HUDSON VALLEY’S BELOVED VAN CORTLANDT MANOR AND CREEK MEETING HOUSE

Federal Funding Will Help Van Cortlandt Manor Support HVAC Upgrades And Help Creek Meeting House Install Efficient Heat Pump Heating System

Both Historical Sites Tell Stories About The Hudson Valley's Role In The American Revolution

Schumer: Fed $$ Will Ensure Hudson Valley History Can Be Preserved For Generations To Come

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today delivered $1,281,961 in federal funding for critical repairs to Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-On-Hudson and the Creek Meeting House in Dutchess County through the National Park Service's Semiquincentennial Grant Program. Schumer explained that federal funding for Van Cortlandt Manor is especially important as it hosts its annual Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, featuring thousands of hand-carved pumpkins and welcoming more than 100,000 visitors each Halloween season. Schumer said that as the country celebrates America's 250^th birthday this year, this federal funding will help preserve two beloved Hudson Valley historical sites for generations to come.

"Van Cortlandt Manor and the Creek Meeting House both tell the story of life in the Hudson Valley during the American Revolution. Every year, these sites bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Hudson Valley," said Senator Schumer. "I'm proud to deliver this $1.2 million in federal funding in honor of our nation's 250^th anniversary so that these national treasures have the resources they need to continue attracting visitors to Upstate New York and teaching them about the history of the United States."

"We are grateful to Senator Schumer for his strong support this NPS semi quincentennial grant for the restoration of the Creek Meeting House built in 1777. Now we can look forward to another 250 years of this historic building serving our community as a gathering place and educational center," said Cynthia Koch, President, Town of Clinton Historical Society.

"Van Cortlandt Manor holds a special place in early American history as the home of prominent Patriot politicians during the Revolutionary War and as an embodiment of the cultures, ideas, and debates that shaped the nascent nation. We are so grateful to the National Park Service for this grant, which will allow us to undertake crucial preservation work to ensure that the site will educate and engage visitors for many generations to come," said Waddell Stillman, President of Historic Hudson Valley.

Schumer explained how this funding will be used to support critical upgrades to Van Cortlandt Manor and Creek Meeting House:

• Van Cortlandt Manor, a National Historic Landmark, was originally inhabited by the Van Cortlandt family, who were one of New York's most prominent families that included powerful colonial landlords, Patriot army officers in the American Revolution, and politicians who helped shape the new nation. Their lives and the site's history are well-documented and shared with the public through fact-based, hands-on educational programming. This $694,500 in federal funding will support HVAC upgrades, replace the failing heating system, and allow Historic Hudson Valley to continue its longstanding partnerships with the Village of Croton-on-Hudson and local historians. Schumer's letter of support can be found here.
• The Creek Meeting House was built out of fieldstone by members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1777-1780, during the height of the Revolutionary War in New York. The Creek Meeting House is part of the little-known history of the roots of the anti-slavery movement in Revolutionary-era New York. The house is a crucial monument recognizing the long and difficult fight for civil rights in the United States. This $587,461 in federal funding will replace an outworn oil furnace with an efficient heat pump heating system and install insulation and storm windows for the first time. Schumer's letter of support can be found here.

The National Park Service's Semiquincentennial Grant Program seeks to honor America's 250th Anniversary by restoring sites on the National Register of Historic Places that commemorate the nation's founding.

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