METAMORA, Ind. (WISH) — The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites has secured a matching grant from the state government to help restore the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site in Metamora, said a news release issued Friday.
As News 8 reported in June, the historic site was facing funding woes.
The Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative grant, administered by the Indiana Economic Development Corp., is intended to match an additional $7 million in state funds allocated in 2023, following a request from the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites for a total of $14.4 million for the Whitewater Canal preservation project.
The cost estimate for the restoration project has increased to $17.5 million due to inflation and further deterioration found during site evaluations. The state government required the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites to adjust the project’s scope to align with available funding.
The project will focus on critical rehabilitations of significant structures, including the Duck Creek Aqueduct, the Laurel Feeder Dam and Lock 24, as well as the addition of a new canal boat and docking system.
The nonprofit Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites organization receives funding from the state government and is overseen by the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites Corp., which is a quasi-state entity.
In the release, Fred Cate, chair of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites board of directors, highlighted the dedication of the museum’s leadership in working with the Metamora community. “The leadership of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites has worked long and hard with the Metamora community to preserve the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site.”
The site is currently closed for the season.
As preparations continue for the next steps in the project, the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites must first present a request to the Indiana State Budget Committee to release the $7 million allocated from the state.
Once the state-allocated funds are released, work will commence on the revised project scope.
The site will remain closed during restoration efforts.
Whitewater Canal State Historic Site has the only remaining covered, wooden aqueduct in the United States. The historic site represents how Hoosiers traveled on horse-pulled boats in the 1830s and 1840s, when Indiana was only a few decades old. In addition to the Whitewater Canal and its aqueduct over Duck Creek, the site sports the Metamora Grist Mill that grounds cornmeal for visitors. That building began as a three-story cotton mill.
Metamora is an unincorporated community in Franklin County, about an hour’s drive northwest of downtown Cincinnati.
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Metamora Grist Mill is shown at Whitewater Canal State Historic Site in Metamora, Indiana, in this undated photo. (Provided Photo/Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites)
The interior of the Metamora Grist Mill is shown at Whitewater Canal State Historic Site in Metamora, Indiana, in this undated photo. (Provided Photo/Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites)
The Duck Creek Aqueduct is shown at Whitewater Canal State Historic Site in Metamora, Indiana, in this undated photo. (Provided Photo/Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites)
