Submitted image The historic Firehouse at Pebble Hill was designed by Abram Garfield, youngest son of President James A. Garfield.

Three Thomas County historic preservation projects are set to receive part of $130,000 in grants by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation from the Callahan Incentive Grant and the 1772 Foundation Grant programs.

The Pebble Hill Plantation Fire House Complex in Thomasville and Pope’s Museum in Ochlocknee are among the 13 private nonprofit organizations awarded grants with funding from the 1772 Foundation.

The foundation, partnering since 2023 with the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, this year has awarded historic preservation matching grants totaling $120,000 to 13 Georgia private nonprofit organizations for maintenance of their historic sites. The grants ranged in amounts from $5,000 to the grant maximum of $10,000, which eleven organizations received.

The Firehouse Building at Pebble Hill was constructed in 1929 and housed not only the fire station, but also the carpenter shop and headquarters of the traveling nurses association, supported by Kate Hanna Ireland Harvey. The building will undergo work on badly degenerated window frames and wood rot.

“We are so thankful for this grant,” said Lori Everett, Pebble Hill’s director of development.  “Preserving these historic structures is so important to preserving the history of this property. We have received funds for the project from Parker Poe Charitable Trust, as well, but are still short of our goal.”

Additionally, grants totaling $10,000 have been awarded to two recipients with funds from Callahan Incentive Grant — the Church of the Good Shepherd for the church vicarage in Thomasville and St. John United Methodist Church in Augusta. Each grantee was awarded $5,000.

The Callahan Incentive Grant is made possible by generous funding from Barbara and Les Callahan, longtime supporters of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, to provide matching funding for historic preservation projects in the state of Georgia.

“These grants reflect the Georgia Trust’s unwavering commitment to preserving the historic places that define our communities and tell Georgia’s diverse stories,” said W. Wright Mitchell, president and chief executive officer of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. “We’re deeply grateful to our generous partners — Barbara and Les Callahan, and The 1772 Foundation — whose support makes this important preservation work possible across the state.”

Grants were provided for exterior work: painting; surface restoration; fire detection/security systems; repairs to/restoration of chimneys, porches, roofs, and windows; repairs to foundations and sills; and masonry repointing. Georgia Trust staff reviewed the grant applications and selected projects based on criteria including organizational capacity, realistic budget, community support, and immediacy of need. The Georgia Trust will manage the grants.

The other 2025 grant recipients are: Andrew Low House Museum (Savannah), the Arts Council (First Methodist Episcopal Church, Gainesville), Cobb Landmarks (William Root House, Marietta), Courthouse Square Development Inc. (Robinson-Glass House, Blakely), Enhancing Low Income Communities – ELICE, Inc. (East Park Cemetery, Vidalia), Friends of Historic Woolsey (Historic Woolsey Church, Woolsey), Georgia Writers Museum (Eatonton), Historic Augusta Incorporated (Woodrow Wilson House carriage barn, Augusta), Historic Macon Foundation (Historic District College Street house, Macon), Southern Forest World (historic fire tower, Waycross), and Friends of The Strand Inc. (Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre, Marietta). These were funded through the 1772 Foundation.