Reid Barry of Macon; Mitch Beall, Natali Gavanarova, and Sang Ah Kim, all of Milledgeville; Morgan Erdman and Leanna Harbor of Gordon;

J.D. Felt of Eatonton; Taylor Massengale and Trey Veal both of Warthen; Elizabeth S. Lacksen and Jacob Pounds, both of Sparta; and Justin Shiver of Gray.

“I am extremely proud of these bright young men and women and look forward to working with them this year,” said board advisor Matt Davis, Curator at the Old Governor’s Mansion. “We will spend the year discovering historic places that need our support and offer help to as many as we can.”

The junior board is made up of high school students from 11 counties in Central Georgia, who demonstrate a passion for historic preservation, are active in the community, have good academic standing and have strong references from their teachers.

The Watson-Brown Foundation established the Watson-Brown Foundation Junior Board of Trustees in October 2006 through a $35,000 grant, with $10,000 for operations and $25,000 allocated to fund preservation projects selected and approved by the board. The grant is renewable on a yearly basis.

The inaugural junior board awarded $25,000 to fund preservation projects in Milledgeville and surrounding communities.

The 2008 board awarded $33,000 to fund preservation projects including Georgia’s Old Capital Museum Society, Lockerly Arboretum and Madison-Morgan Cultural Center.

The 2009 board awarded $31,000 to Andalusia in Milledgeville; Old City Cemetery/Washington County Historic Society in Sandersville; A New Beginning in Gordon in Gordon; the Georgia’s Old Capital Museum in Milledgeville to Old School Museum in Eatonton.

The junior board is patterned after The Watson-Brown Foundation and functions as part of the educational programming at the Old Governor’s Mansion at Georgia College & State University, a unit of the university’s Academic Affairs Division.

“We owe a great deal of gratitude to the Watson-Brown Foundation for its continued encouragement and support. This is a wonderful opportunity for these students,” said Jim Turner, Director of The Old Governor’s Mansion. “This initiative remains one of the most important components of our educational outreach programs here at the Mansion.”

For more information about this program contact Matt Davis at (478) 445-4545.