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Hurricane Michael blew through Charlotte County two years ago, leaving behind lots of damage in several towns throughout the county.

Charlotte Court House was one of those towns damaged by the storm.

Now, with the assistance of the Commonwealth Regional Council (CRC), county officials have applied for $144,840 in funding to restore five historic buildings located in the historic district of Charlotte Court House that was damaged.

According to Executive Director Melody Foster with the CRC, the buildings included that are in need of repairs are the Historic Charlotte County Courthouse, the Charlotte County Jail (currently the Museum of Charlotte County), the Old Brick Tavern (currently the Circuit Court Clerk’s office), the Commonwealth Attorney’s office and the Old Registrar’s/Old Clerk’s office.

“Damages included water damage, drainage issues and erosion,” Foster said. “The funding request included plaster repairs at four historic buildings, landscaping and excavating to move water away from five historic buildings, HVAC replacement at two historic buildings to preserve work and control airflow, replacement of failing and gutter and downspouts at the Courthouse building.”

In August, the county received notification from the Department of Historical Resources (DHR) Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF) that DHR recommended partially funding the proposed project request.

Foster said the portion funded will cover the proposed request without the plasterwork, as the mitigation of water damage is more urgent, for a funding amount of approximately $100,000. 

“DHR will be working with the National Park Service (NPS) to obtain approval of the project,” Foster said. “Therefore, this project is considered preliminarily approved at this time. The Town is still awaiting final approval by the National Park Service.”

The National Park Service (NPS) awarded the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) $4.7 million in funding to provide recovery assistance to historic resources damaged by hurricanes Florence and/or Michael in September and October 2018 that are listed or are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The award from the Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF) administered by the NPS enables DHR to make sub-awards to historic resources.