A historic Flushing institution will reach more young people thanks to recently secured funding.
The Lewis H. Latimer House Museum, located at the intersection of 137th and Leavitt Streets, has been awarded a $24,950 federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The museum was one of 16 national awardees selected this year.
A New York City Landmark, the Latimer House is the former home of African American self-taught inventor and son of fugitive slaves, Lewis H. Latimer. Born in 1848, Latimer worked with three of the greatest scientific inventors in American history — Alexander Graham Bell, Hiram S. Maxim and Thomas Alva Edison — and played a critical role in the development of the telephone and the incandescent light bulb.
The museum works to call attention to Latimer’s and other African American’s contributions to science, technology, arts, poetry and American life by offering tours, exhibits and public programming. The funding will be used to carry out outreach activities in surrounding schools, as well as allow local schools to visit their facility and actively engage in its history.
“This will be a significant step in the museum’s efforts to reach outside its walls and educate children about Lewis H. Latimer’s undervalued contribution to the technology innovation in America,” said Ran Yan, Program Director of the Latimer House.
Congresswoman Grace Meng helped the museum secure the federal funding.
“It is critical that we preserve and promote our local history, and that we educate our children about it,” Meng said.
To learn more about the museum, visit their website.
