Save America's Treasures
In April, President Barack Obama sat in the famed Rosa Parks bus at the Henry Ford Museum. A Save America's Treasures grant catalyzed the restoration of this civil rights icon. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Before its restoration, the city bus that Rosa Parks made a civil rights touchstone was almost lost until Save America's Treasures helped ensure that this artifact and hundreds of other pieces of our nation's historic and cultural legacy would live on.
Recipient of a 2010 Save America's Treasures grant, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's scrapbooks are a vivid chronicle of her White House tenure.
Arlington House was originally a memorial to George Washington by his step-grandson. Today it is the Robert E. Lee Memorial, since it was his residence until the Civil War.
Thomas Edison's tin foil recording in this envelope is the second oldest recorded voice of an American. A recording no one has heard, but which will be made playable through a 2010 SAT grant.
Cincinnati Zoo's Reptile House is the oldest zoo building in the U.S. and one of several of the zoo's structures that have been designated a National Historic Landmark. (SAT 2010 award)
Inside the Angel Island immigration station is remarkable poetry carved into the walls of the barracks. A Save America’s Treasures grant and hundreds of volunteers rescued this unique record of the experience of thousands of Asian immigrants. Photo by Chris Huie
Pre-dating the national archives, the New Jersey Revolutionary War Archives (SAT grant 2005) provide a first-hand account of the struggle for American independence in a state where more than 296 military engagements took place.
The 17th-century San Esteban del Rey church joins other iconic religious structures like the Old North Church(2003), Race Street Meetinghouse (2007) and Touro Synagogue(2003) in receiving Save America’s Treasures support.
Fallingwater (SAT grant 2004) is an iconic architectural work and one of many examples of Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy that have been preserved with Save America’s Treasure’s support.
President Lincoln's family residence in Washington for a quarter of his presidency and where he wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. Anderson Cottage's restoration leveraged millions in private investment to match its Save America's Treasure award in 2000.
Mesa Verde National Park was home to the Ancestral Pueblo people from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Two Save America's Treasures grants have helped preserve its legacy of archeological sites (SAT grant 1999) and their respective artifacts (SAT grant 2001).
The Wright Flyer III (SAT grant 1999) was the first practical airplane developed by the Wright Brothers, and its painstaking preservation was supported by Save America's Treasures.
Save America’s Treasures (SAT) invests in the preservation of America's threatened cultural and historic treasures, including structures, collections, works of art, documents, artifacts and journals that embody and illuminate the history and culture of the United States. Established by Executive Order in 1998, Save America's Treasures is now a federal public-private partnership that includes the White House, the President’s Committee, the federal cultural agencies— National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)—the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
By tapping into America’s strong tradition of giving, the PCAH through this program can engage thousands of individuals and businesses in investing in these projects. These cultural and historic resources are not only the building blocks of our democracy, but also an irreplaceable foundation for future generations of artists, writers, scholars, architects, historians and citizens as they create anew this nation’s story.
Programs/Activity Highlights
Save America’s Treasures Instrumental in the Re-Birth of Washington’s Howard Theatre
Save America’s Treasures Frank Lloyd Wright Legacy Nominated for World Heritage List
New Save America’s Treasures Travel Blog
Save America's Treasures Civil War Legacy
Preserving the Experiences and Achievements of African-Americans
Save America’s Treasures: Paying Tribute to Women Who Changed America
Gateway to the Golden Mountain: Angel Island Immigration Station
Carved into the walls of Angel Island Immigration Station were poems that captured the longing, fear and hopes of Asian immigrants in the early 20th-century. Discovered by happenstance, these poems opened a window on the experiences of the more than 350,000 immigrants who were processed and ... Learn More »
