(Indianapolis, IN) – A new funding commitment announced by State Rep. Lindsey Patterson could move long-delayed restoration work forward at the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site, but state officials and preservation advocates caution that final approvals and long-term operating support remain unresolved.
In a written statement released this week, Patterson said southeastern Indiana has received a commitment for a $7 million matching grant from the Lilly Endowment to support restoration and preservation work at the Metamora site. She described the effort as “a major project totaling more than $14 million” and said the work would focus on the Duck Creek Aqueduct, the Laurel Feeder Dam, Lock 24, and the canal corridor connecting those structures.
Patterson credited “countless local advocates, preservationists, community leaders, and state officials” for sustaining the project through what she characterized as a long and difficult process, saying their behind-the-scenes efforts helped keep the canal restoration from stalling…