Eckley Miners’ Village in Luzerne County has been awarded a $17,000 Willary Foundation grant to design an interdisciplinary research center and overnight lodging in two of the historic site’s 19th-century homes.

The project is part of an initiative to preserve Eckley’s historic structures by selectively adapting them for contemporary uses.

Jacobs Wyper Architects completed initial designs for the 2,500-foot research center in July 2023.

The plans describe laboratories, classrooms, conference space, and other facilities that would accommodate work in a range of academic disciplines including archaeology, earth sciences, public history, and geography.

Nearby lodging would house research partners on site during field schools and long-term projects, encouraging deeper engagement with the village, its visitors, and its surrounding communities and landscapes.

The lodging will also prototype a new revenue model for the village that could be replicated in additional historic homes.

Improved research facilities will benefit Eckley’s exhibits and programs by fostering innovative thinking about the anthracite region’s cultural and environmental legacies, strengthening the museum’s relationships with nearby educational institutions, and involving current and future generations of students in the preservation and study of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s important heritage.

The Willary Foundation grant will partially match a $48,000 National Endowment for the Humanities award that the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, Eckley’s parent organization, received in June 2023.

The Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation, PHMC’s nonprofit partner, is assisting with ongoing fundraising efforts.

For information on how to support this project, please visit .

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this announcement do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Eckley Miners’ Village, located in Weatherly, Luzerne County, is one of 24 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History.

Eckley Miners’ Village preserves and shares the story of anthracite coal mining, the history of patch towns and their residents, and the evolution of regional culture.

Visit the Eckley Miners’ Village website or follow them on Facebook or Instagram.

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