EXETER —The American Independence Museum (AIM), a member of the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail, has been awarded a $170,590 matching grant for a major restoration project to preserve the historic Ladd-Gilman House.
The grant was awarded by the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP).
Trail President Jeff Barraclough expressed gratitude for LCHIP’s contribution to funding the restoration project. “The Ladd-Gilman House is a historically significant structure in the state,” he said. “This grant will help preserve history and bring awareness to other historic buildings and sites on the trail.”
Built in 1721 by Nathaniel Ladd as one of the state’s first brick houses, the home was purchased in 1747 by Daniel Gilman, a prominent Exeter merchant.
The Ladd-Gilman House served as the state treasury during the Revolutionary War when two members of the Gilman family, Col. Nicholas Gilman and his son John Taylor Gilman, later the state’s governor, served as state treasurer.
The house was also the birthplace of Nicholas Gilman, Jr., a signer of the United States Constitution and a U.S. senator.
According to Carr, preservation work will include window restoration, foundation repair, structural work, repairs to doors, jambs, and thresholds, asbestos abatement, and exterior work on damaged clapboards and paint.
AIM is required to match each dollar plus at least one additional dollar to fund the project.
Carr noted that people can expect to see exterior renovation work over the next two years.
In addition to the American Independence Museum in Exeter, member institutions on The Trail are located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, and Seacoast. To learn more about The Trail, or AIM, visit www.nhmuseumtrail.com.