July 16, 2014

Manchin Announces Funding to Develop Culture District in Charles Town

In a letter to the NEA, Senator Manchin requested “Our Town” funding to enhance Charles Town’s unique history and culture

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin announced that the city of Charles Town will receive up to $50,000 through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) “Our Town” grant program. The funding, which will help support the planning and outreach campaign for the Washington Heritage Arts & Culture District in Downtown Charles Town, was announced after Senator Manchin, Senator Rockefeller and Congresswoman Capito sent a letter to the NEA in support of the project. The project will serve 54,000 Jefferson County residents and will attract visitors from surrounding areas, including Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
To read the letter Senators Manchin, Rockefeller and Representative Capito sent to the

NEA Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa, please click here.

“The city of Charles Town and the entire Eastern Panhandle is such a beautiful place to live and visit, rich with a unique heritage, a robust artistic community and a fascinating history that is so closely intertwined with the founding of our country,” Senator Manchin said. “Charles Town is already a gateway for many tourists and visitors, and that’s why it is important that we not only preserve the city’s one-of-a-kind heritage, but we must also do all we can to develop and grow its distinct culture. I am pleased that the NEA has agreed to partner with the Charles Town community to establish the Washington Heritage Arts and Culture District. This project will truly help this already vibrant community flourish and it will attract businesses, residents and visitors to Jefferson County.”

Partners in the effort include the Arts and Humanities Alliance of Jefferson County, Washington Artists' Cooperative, Old Opera House, Jefferson County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Jefferson County Historical Society, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, and Jefferson County NAACP.

Through the “Our Town” grant program, the NEA provides a limited number of competitive, matching grants, for creative projects that contribute toward the livability of communities and help transform them into lively, beautiful and sustainable places focused on the arts. “Our Town” grants invest in projects in which communities – together with their local governments, arts and design organizations, and artists – seek to improve the quality of life, encourage greater creative activity, foster stronger community identity and revitalize economic development.

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