Indian And Colonial Research Center Requests Town Releases Property Rights

The Indian and Colonial Research Center in Old Mystic wants the rights to its property. The has owned the museum and cultural institution since August of 1966, but according to the ICRC the fact that the town owns its property makes it ineligible to apply for some state and federal grants.

“We’re hoping to get the building on the registry of state and national historic places,” Executive Director of ICRC Joan Cohn said. “It opens it up for grants.”

Under a stipulation in the property deed the ICRC manages the property, but the town owns it. If the ICRC ceased to exist, or the property was no longer used as a research center and museum open to the public, the property would revert back to the town. In order to be listed on the registry of state and national historic places that stipulation needs to be removed from the deed.

At Wednesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting the ICRC requested the town releases its rights to the property.

“It’s a terrific property,” First Selectmen , said.

The ICRC holds a collection of Native and Colonial artifacts and the building the ICRC calls home contains original architectural features including barred windows, a vault, grained woodwork and its iron-faced entrance doors.

The Board of Selectmen scheduled a Town Meeting for Oct. 9 at . At the Town Meeting Stonington residents will vote to “release [the town’s] rights to have certain property owned by the Indian and Colonial Research center, Inc. revert to it in the event that the property is no longer used as a research center and museum open to the public as is recorded in a quit claim deed from the Town of Stonington to the Indian and Colonial Research Center, Inc. dated August 3, 1966 in the land records of said Stonington Book 158, Page 138.”

In April the to the public after damage from the Flood of 2010 and .

In order to repair the damage the ICRC raised about $30,000 and members and the greater community raised another $11,000. The Federal Emergency Management Agency gave about $16,000.