PRESERVATION TEXAS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR HISTORIC RURAL LOG BUILDING GRANT PROGRAM
TYLER, TEXAS — Preservation Texas is now accepting applications for its new Historic Rural Log Building Grant Program, funded by a $750,000 Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant from the National Park Service.
Through this competitive program, Preservation Texas will award subgrants ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 to five to seven preservation projects involving historic, pre-1936 log buildings. Eligible properties must be located in rural East Texas communities with populations under 10,000 or previously included on the organization’s Most Endangered Places list. Nonprofits, government entities, and private property owners are eligible to apply, but preference will be given to buildings that are, or will be, regularly open to the public.
“Log buildings are essential to understanding early Texas history, and they are becoming increasingly rare,” said Conor Herterich, Preservation Texas’s Northeast Texas Program Officer. “We are committed not only to saving the most endangered examples, but also to sustaining the craft traditions needed to preserve and maintain them.”
Applications will be evaluated using a scoring matrix that considers preservation urgency, project readiness, and community impact. All grants require a 25 percent cash match and will be awarded on a reimbursement basis. Funded projects must be fully completed and the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places by March 2028.
“We are proud to be entrusted with this funding in support of endangered log buildings in East Texas,” said Evan Thompson, executive director of Preservation Texas. “As Texas approaches its bicentennial in 2036, many of our earliest log structures are nearing 200 years old. We can’t afford to lose more of them.”
Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. CST on Friday, April 17, 2026. For program guidelines, eligibility requirements, and application information, visit preservationtexas.org/grants.
###
About Preservation Texas:
Founded in 1985, Preservation Texas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers Texans to preserve their cultural heritage, and stewards significant buildings, collections, and cultural landscapes statewide to ensure their permanent protection. Visit preservationtexas.org for more information.