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THURSDAY, MArch 28, 2013
VOL. 18, NO. 34
Preserving
History
Ebey’s Forever Fund continues to support local preservation efforts By Justin Burnett Staff Reporter
government funding can be hard to come by. Old buildings are expensive to maintain and property owners are left with the responsibilStanding back, Central Whidbey farmer ity of keeping up structures that they someDon Sherman can’t help but admire “Grand- time can’t even use. pa Clark’s” old barn. The idea behind the fund was simple; to Of course, it’s a little easier nowadays. foster a program that would provide enough The nearly 80-year-old building was recently financial assistance to property owners that given a new lease on life with a much needed they would be willing to reinvest in the old renovation. Worn out siding was replaced, buildings. the second story doors were repaired, and the For example, “Grandpa Clark’s” barn, eyebrow-raising tilt to the North stabilized. built in 1935, had been used for many differThe barn was even restored to its old, ent things over the decades but 80 years will bright-red glory. take a toll on any building that sees hard use, “It’s nice to see the particularly those for old girl with some paint farming. on her,” Sherman said. “We might have been able to do this The building had Sherman is one of ourselves but this allowed us to make fallen in such disremany property own- it a priority.” pair that Sherman ers who have benefited had all but stopped Linda Bartlett, Rosehip Farm & using the second from the Ebey’s Forever Fund, a budding, comGarden story for fear of its munity-driven grant structural stabilprogram that aims to ity. While he never help with the high cost of maintaining histor- planned to abandon the building, the exic structures. pense of repairs did delay its rehabilitation. Since it was kicked off, the fund has The Pickard’s challenge was met and assisted 17 properties and raised nearly Sherman was one of the first grant recipients. $130,000 in donations for contributing strucThat financial help was one of the big reatures located within Ebey’s Landing Nationsons the project got done when it did, Sheral Historical Reserve. man said. According to Mark Preiss, manager of “It was a really important consideration,” Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, Sherman said. its success is evidence that alternative fund“I really give all those guys credit for geting programs that leverage community supting this going,” he said. port are not only effective, but demonstrate Linda Bartlett, co-owner of Rosehip the public’s commitment to historic preserFarm & Garden, was a grant recipient last vation. year and the Sam Keith Farm Shed, a small “Clearly, they recognize the importance building located next to her home, received a of community involvement in these heritage major overhaul. resources,” Preiss said. “It was pretty unusable. … It was more “The money raised speaks for itself,” he like a lean-to than a building,” she said. said. Trying to take on expensive projects like The program began in late 2010 at the that can be a “daunting” task when you’re annual Ebey’s Forever Conference when the trying to run a successful farm, she said. Like Pickard family announced a financial grant Sherman, she said the end result is that renochallenge. vations and even maintenance can be pushed Any money donated by the community back. for the preservation of historic structures “We might have been able to do this ourwithin the reserve would be matched by up selves but this allowed us to make it a priorto $50,000. At the time, and continuing to this day, See Preservation, page 7
Justin Burnett photo
Central Whidbey fwarmer Don Sherman sits on his tractor in front of the barn his grandfather, Clark Sherman, built nearly 80 years ago. The aging structure recently got an overhaul thanks to the Ebey’s Forever Fund.