Adair County will receive a $76,800 grant through the federal Historic Preservation Fund. The county will use the grant to make structural repairs necessary to stabilize the roof framework of their courthouse that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.


Serving the county’s citizens since its completion in 1899, the Adair County Courthouse is considered the anchor for historic preservation in Kirksville’s downtown area.
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 authorizes a program of federal matching grants, known as the Historic Preservation Fund, to assist the various states in carrying out historic preservation activities. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and in Missouri, is administered through the Department of Natural Resources' State Historic Preservation Office.
The grants are awarded based on a competitive scoring process and the direct relation of the projects to the identification, evaluation, or protection of historical, architectural or archaeological resources. Grant-funded projects must pertain to the accomplishment of the State Historic Preservation Officer’s responsibilities as outlined in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, must be carried out in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards for Archaeology and Historic Preservation” and must meet requirements of the National Register Programs Guideline (NPS-49).
For more information about the federal Historic Preservation Fund, visit the department's website dnr.mo.gov/shpo/aboutus.htm or contact the State Historic Preservation Office at 573-522-2473.