FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: 603-826-5700, Cheryl Cavanaugh, Operations Director

THE FORT AT NO. 4 LIVING HISTORY MUSEUM, IN CHARLESTOWN, NH, RECEIVES A GRANT FROM VERIZON IN THE AMOUNT OF $8,000

Charlestown, NH – The Fort at No. 4 Living History Museum is the recipient of an $8,000 grant from Verizon. This grant is geared toward assisting The Fort at No. 4 Living History Museum with the research and development of a web-based interactive learning program through animation. This program will be offered free of charge on the Fort website, www.fortat4.com, and can be utilized in a classroom environment, home-school setting or as desired on an individual basis. “Our program will adhere to New Hampshire’s Department of Education Framework and will be designed to dovetail K-6th grades studies of 18th century history in New England, with a focus on The Fort at No. 4 settlers”, stated Cheryl Cavanaugh, Operations Director at The Fort at No. 4 Living History Museum. She also added, “With the grant made possible in part by Verizon, we have the ability to reach children unable to attend Fort programs due to a variety of reasons including demographics.” Jill Wurm, spokesperson for Verizon remarked, “Verizon applauds the efforts by Trustees of this valuable Living History Museum to bring the history of The Fort at No. 4 to those who may not be able to visit the Fort in person. The Verizon Foundation looks to support innovative programs that directly impact and enrich our communities through the integration of education and technology.”

The website program will be located on The Fort’s website in their “Children’s Corner” and is slated to be released in September of 2006. Children will find Tray the Dog and Scruffy the Cat ready to guide them through the Fort as they meet many of the settlers from the 18th century. Although the program is history based, it will encompass site vocabulary, reading comprehension, and math games which will be integrated throughout this amusing interactive program that ends in the Great Hall. Other grants received for this project were from the Monadnock Community Foundation, Upper Valley Community Foundation, and the Hubbard Foundation.

The Fort at No. 4 Living History Museum is a 57-year-old non-profit institution that has been teaching children from in and around NH and VT about the early settlers of No. 4, through school group day tours, overnight programs and summer camps. Along with their school season schedule, The Fort at No. 4 hosts period events and battles of the 18th century, including the French and Indian war era. “At the core of our mission is a deep commitment to education. The Fort offers a serine setting that allows visitors to learn through a hands-on, interactive experience”, states, Mathew Blanc, Chairman of The Board of Trustees, “and this grant allows children from all states, not only VT and NH, to experience the Fort’s environment through an animated program.”

The Fort at No. 4 Living History Museum is open to schools starting in April and open to the general public the first weekend in June. For further information on their programs and events you can contact The Fort at (603) 826-5700 or visit their website at www.fortat4.com