Work on a new history and humanities center in Fox Township, in Elk County — which will include free wifi, a computer lab, a gift shop and a display area — is slated to begin later this year.
The township received a grant for $1.6 million to build the Fox Township History and Humanities Center. The funding comes from the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority through its Multi-Purpose Community Facilities Program, which received funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Kathy Dowie, Fox Township’s secretary and treasurer, said the township had been talking about having a historical center. The parameters of the grant — supporting work, education, health — tie in well with that.
“We felt that it was a great marriage between our historical society and the grant’s main focus, that being public access to broadband," Dowie said.
The building will include a large area for displays, such as historical artifacts, and a gift shop for local vendors, along with a research area and broadband access. Dowie said it could be used to offer educational workshops and internships.
“We’re going to offer a lot of opportunities to our community and we hope that our citizens and our neighbors take advantage of that," she said.
The center will be built on blighted property on Main Street in Kersey that the township bought and cleared. Dowie said they hope to go out to bid this spring or summer and then begin construction.
"We’ve already got a great nucleus of volunteers that have formed the Fox Township Historical Society and are ready to take on this facility and put it in operation," she said.
