Two museums will share nearly $38,000 in state grants to help preserve our Valley’s history.

Ohio History Connection has announced a $19,000 grant for the Mahoning Valley Historical Society.

The funding will help cover the cost of moving more than 6,800 artifacts stored in the society's house museum to a new, climate-controlled, and secure facility.  The new location is better suited to preserve and make the collection more accessible.

The collection will be moved under the supervision of the society's curators, who will have packed the artifacts for transfer.

The project is part of a larger initiative to unite the society's extensive artifact collections and care for them in one centralized facility that allows room for growth.

The City of Niles will receive an $18,981 grant for improvements and upgrades to the Ward-Thomas Home.

The house built in 1862 and on the National Register of Historic Places, is the headquarters of the Niles Historical Society and is owned by the city.

The city and historical society will take steps to remediate barriers to accessibility so that the house may be enjoyed by all while maintaining the site's historic appearance.

The Ohio History Fund makes grants to help support local history and historic preservation-related projects in communities throughout Ohio. It's funded by Ohio taxpayers who select "Ohio History Fund" as a donation fund on their state tax returns.