Faced with a budget deficit that could mean closing, the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, New York just got a last minute reprieve with a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised $200,000 in two weeks, but it needs to keep on raising funds to stave off the wolf at the door.
Historic Weeksville includes a visitor center and several early 19th-century houses that it has preserved as a view into the life of one of the nation’s largest free lack communities in pre-Civil War America. Nearly forgotten, it was saved in the 1960s by community activists who acquired buildings and were able to raise funds to develop the site, a favorite for school trips and for visitors interested in history.
Like many museums and arts organizations with roots in black and Latino communities, Weeksville has had difficulty developing a donor base with serious money, and has had frequent financial crises, especially since most of its programming is free of charge. It’s hoping to broaden that base and find its way to financial stability. A crowdfunding site for Weeksville is live HERE.
Photo: Weeksville houses on Hunterfly Road, Brooklyn
