The Enhancement Project began to execute the grant on Sept. 9, 1994. From 1994 to 2006, the $2.5 million supported a variety of projects on the Perryville Battlefield and in the city, including:
* Acquisition of four battlefield properties totaling 231 acres.
* Compilation of the 1999 Perryville Interpretive and Management Plan.
* Purchase of two reproduction cannon carriages for Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site.
* Acquisition and restoration of seven structures along historic Merchant's Row, the town's intact 19th Century commercial district.
* Acquisition of the historic mill property at 122 North Bragg St., Perryville, future home of the Perryville Battlefield Museum.
* Archaeological ex-ploration of the mill area in conjunction with the University of Kentucky.
"The Perryville Enhancement Project shows what strong partners can do with significant resources," said Kolakowski. "This is a huge milestone, and the PBPA, Boyle County, Perryville City, the Heritage Council, and state parks can be justly proud of what we have accomplished."
Kolakowski also pointed out, "This grant represents a strong partnership on both the state and local level. State Parks, the Heritage Council and the Transportation Cabinet collaborated in getting the money for Perryville. Tony Wilder and the Boyle County Fiscal Court played a critical role in administering and executing this project, while the city of Perryville was a key partner in our downtown preservation efforts."
"Perryville is a special place to Boyle County and the state. The Enhancement Project is a real success story, and has made Perryville into one of the best Civil War sites in the nation," said Tony Wilder, Boyle County judge/executive and a Perryville native. " We congratulate all of our partners upon completion of this grant, and look forward to future preservation at Perryville."
Kurt Holman, park manager of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, said the funding is important. "All the best intentions of preservation are for naught without funding," he said. "More than half of the 419 acres added to this park since 1991 were purchased thanks to this grant and the Perryville Enhancement Project."
The Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association is a membership organization charged with preservation and interpretation of the Perryville Battlefield and town. It oversees the Perryville Enhancement Project in conjunction with the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Boyle County, and the city of Perryville. Since 1991, the project has preserved and interpreted more than 400 acres of critical battlefield land along with several original structures in the City of Perryville.
