Presenting the Watson-Brown Junior Board grant to Washington Historical Museum Director Stephanie Macchia (second from right) are (l-r) Jesse Kuhn, homeschool junior; Laura Lemley, Augusta Prep graduate; and Spencer Swinson, Washington-Wilkes graduate. Last week, the Watson-Brown Foundation's Thomson Chapter of the Junior Board awarded $5,000 to the Washington Historical Museum for the purchase of new exhibition cases. Junior Board members said they are thrilled to be part of the ongoing efforts to preserve Wilkes County history for future generations to learn from and enjoy.

Museum Director Stephanie Maccia showed the cases that will be replaced to representatives of the Junior Board and said that the current military exhibit is the last that will occupy the old cases and that they are looking forward to having the new cases for a new exhibit.

A number of Wilkes County students have served on the board including Jessica Eason Northener, Daniel Newsome, Bonnie Bounds, Delaney Russell, Joseph Baldwin, Morgan Lamon Verdery, Liz Grant, Spencer Swinson, and others. Adam Russell and Molly Newsome served as president of the board during their terms.

The Watson-Brown Junior Board, Thomson Chapter, is currently accepting applications from high school students in Wilkes, Lincoln, McDuffie, Warren, Taliaferro, Glascock, Burke, Jefferson, Richmond, Columbia, Aiken, and McCormick Counties to fill vacant positions on its 2009-2010 Junior Board. For more information contact Michelle Zupan at 706-595-7777, mzupan@ hickory-hill.org, or visit www. hickory-hill.org.

The Watson-Brown Foundation supports historic preservation in part through its Junior Board of Trustees, a talented group of local high school students whose exclusive mission is to preserve local history. This educational initiative fosters civic responsibility, heightens an appreciation for local history, and introduces the students to the world of philanthropy. The Junior Board, Thomson Chapter, awards over $30,000 in grants annually to preservation projects in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) of Georgia and South Carolina.