First Lady Laura Bush awarded New Hampshire its first "Preserve America" grant in a ceremony at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington on Thursday, March 9, 2006.

The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources a Division of the New Hampshire Department of Cultural Resources, and the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation will receive $28,161 to develop new interpretive tours at five of the State Historic Site house museums. The sites are the Franklin Pierce Homestead, Hillsborough; the Robert Frost Farm in Derry; the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion in Portsmouth; the John W. Weeks Estate in Lancaster; and the Daniel Webster Birthplace in Franklin.

Over the course of the next year, project teams will work with recognized scholars to identify key themes, artifacts, and individuals associated with each site. The new tours and associated programs, are expected to be offered for the first time in the summer of 2007.

Preserve America is a White House initiative developed in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Department of the Interior, and other federal agencies. Mrs. Bush serves as Honorary Chair. These grants are awarded on a biannual basis, and approved by both the House and Senate.