Thanks for voting for the chapel car!

The Northwest Railway Museum is delighted to announce that chapel car 5 Messenger of Peace has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Partners In Preservation initiative, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the American Express Foundation. The award comes at the end of a nearly 1 year long process that selected 25 historic properties located in the Puget Sound Region of Western Washington to compete for a share of $1 million.

A public vote that began April 15 allowed individuals to vote for their favorite project and the top vote getter was awarded full funding. An advisory committee worked with the National Trust and American Express to decide who would receive the balance of the grant funding by considering impact, sustainability, significance, and feasibility. 11 projects in all were funded; 14 remaining projects received $5,000 grants to help further their efforts.

The public vote element was particularly spirited with a variety of techniques utilized to raise awareness about the projects. Facebook, fliers, web sites, brochures, open houses, emails, discussion groups and speaking engagements were just a few of the methods used to promote the chapel car project.

Funding awarded by the National Trust and American Express will match funding from 4Culture, Save America’s Treasures, Capital Projects for Washington’s Heritage and private donors to support rehabilitation of the chapel car.

Built in 1898, Messenger of Peace was launched as a tool of modern evangelism and rode the rails for 50 years in the service of the American Baptist Publication Society. Work on this National Register property and City of Snoqualmie Landmark will begin later this summer.

Learn more about the chapel car at www.MessengerOfPeace.org

Thank you for voting for the chapel car and supporting the Northwest Railway Museum!

--Richard