By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
LITTLE VALLEY — Grant funding for the restoration of the Cattaraugus County Memorial and Historical Building has reached $300,000, C.A.M.P. officials announced earlier this week.
C.A.M.P. (Committee Advocating Memorial Preservation) purchased the historic building from the county nine years ago, saving it from demolition by the county.
The brick building at Seventh and Court streets sits across from the Cattaraugus County Center.
Volunteers led by C.A.M.P. president Tom Stetz transformed the threatened Civil War memorial to one of the state’s recognized preservation success stories.
The group has protected the property from further deterioration, secured major preservation grants and received listing for the memorial on the New York State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.
The New York listing came after a $10,000 donation by the Cattaraugus County Legislature in 2023. The funds were used to pay for professional services by Clinton Brown Company Architecture P.C. of Buffalo, to prepare for the listing.
That led to the New York State Review Board’s recommendation to the commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to list the Cattaraugus County Memorial and Historic Building on the New York State Register of Historic Places in 2025. The designation on the National Register of Historic Places came May 12, 2025.
The listing on the National Register recognizes the importance of the site in the country’s history and provides them with a measure of protection.
C.A.M.P. received its largest grant on Dec. 23, 2025 — an early Christmas present of $246,750 — from the Environmental Protection Fund Grant Program for Parks, Preservation and Heritage.
The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation said the project will play a vital role in “enhancing the parks, environment, character, quality of life and economic vitality of the community.”
The Preservation League of New York State presented C.A.M.P. with a $40,000 grant, one of two it made from its Preservation Opportunity Fund in 2026.
The group’s director, Caitlin Meives applauded C.A.M.P.’s determination to save the memorial. “Without their tireless advocacy over the last 10 years, this monument to Cattaraugus County’s Civil War veterans would be long gone,” she wrote.
The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation Community Fund gave a grant of $2,500 to C.A.M.P. earlier this year.
C.A.M.P. worked with contractors to wrap certain areas of the exterior to prevent further deterioration of masonry until more work can be completed. A new multi-layer roof was also installed to prevent further water damage.
The next steps, according to Stetz, the C.A.M.P. president, will be to use the grant funding for asbestos abatement and rehabilitation of the memorial.
C.A.M.P. is currently in the planning phase for a capital campaign to be able to continue its preservation and rehabilitation of the Cattaraugus County Memorial and Historical Building.
“Tha awarding of these grants is wonderful news,” Stetz said. “We are very grateful to the Cattaraugus County Legislature, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Preservation League of New York State and the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation for their financial support.”
Stetz added: “We are equally grateful to the New York State Review Board and Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, as the New York State Preservation Office (SHPO), for listing the property on the New York State Register of Historic Places and recommending it to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D.C., and to the National Park Service for approving its listing on the National Register of Historic Places.”
He said the grants and historic designations “will allow us to make major progress and honor the patriotic contributions of Civil War soldiers and sailors from Cattaraugus County as well as this significant historic property.”
Citizens Advocating Memorial Preservation (C.A.M.P.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, rehabilitating, and reopening the Cattaraugus County Memorial and Historical Building Instructions on making a gift to C.A.M.P. can be found at https://cattcomemorial.org/donate/.
Donors may also mail gifts by check with “Restricted to C.A.M.P.” written on the memo line to: Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, 301 N. Union St., Olean, NY 14760.
Donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Individuals interested in making a multi-year gift, joining the C.A.M.P. Leadership Council, sharing stories of Cattaraugus County’s Civil War veterans, or helping introduce C.A.M.P. to others who share our vision can reach out through the “CONTACT C.A.M.P.” page at https://cattcomemorial.org.
Discover more from Olean Star
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
