Sylvester Manor receives $100K grant
On July 22, 2025, Sylvester Manor received $100,000 in funding from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF), a program from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
This funding will support a capital project for the Sylvester Manor Attic Preservation, to help preserve the 1737 Manor House attic interiors. By preserving and rehabilitating the attic’s remarkably intact space, it will become a place to honor the stories and legacies of those who built and sustained Sylvester Manor before and after emancipation.
Although their history and stories are presented throughout the house and property, the attic evokes memories of those who lived and worked there.
The funding will be used for interior stabilization and preservation in the six-room attic and upper loft, where floorboards will be lifted to make repairs, improve insulation and air quality, and search for artifacts and other evidence to help learn about the people who occupied the space. The attic preservation project is a part of the larger rehabilitation and preservation of the Manor House, estimated to cost $13 million.
“This prestigious grant will allow us to preserve and interpret the Manor House attic, a space that represents the significant history and role of African-Americans at Sylvester Manor,” said Stephen Searl, Executive Director of Sylvester Manor.
With more than $150 million raised, the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is the largest U.S. resource dedicated to the preservation of African American historic places. Sylvester Manor is one of 24 sites selected this year to receive a total of $3 million in funding to advance preservation activities for historic sites, buildings, and landscapes that represent Black cultural heritage.
