Upstate History Alliance Awards of Merit Press Release Date: March 20, 2004 Contact: Harold Miller, [log in to unmask] Ralph Miller [log in to unmask] Tel: 518-872-0212 The Berne Historical Project, in Berne, NY was recently awarded a 2004 Certificate of Commendation from the Upstate History Alliance (UHA) for its community history website at www.Bernehistory.org. These Certificates are handed out annually by UHA as part of its Award of Merit program which recognizes outstanding work in the regional history and museum community. The Berne Historical Project is one of only six organizations to receive a certificate in 2004. One of the other six winners was the Berne Heritage Days Committee for Berne Heritage Days 2003. Berne Heritage Days was sponsored by the Berne Historical Project in 2002, and by the Town of Berne in 2003. A separate press release is available for that award. The Upstate History Alliance, located in Oneonta, NY is a non-profit organization which provides support, advice, and training to historical societies, museums, historians and others interested in history in upstate New York. Each year its Award of Merit program recognizes outstanding and innovative projects in the history and museum community. Projects selected to receive a Certificate of Commendation represent excellence within the context of available means and regional standards. This year's Awards will be presented to winners at a special reception in New York City on April 18th. A full list of the 2004 Award winners is available on the UHA website, www.upstatehistory.org > Services > Awards. The Berne Historical Project was started in 2001 to provide information on the Internet to people researching their ancestors from Berne, Albany County. In 2002 the Project's objectives were expanded to include preserving and presenting the history of the people of this small, rural community. 2003 saw tremendous progress towards achieving these objectives. The website now includes sections on Berne Families Genealogy; church, cemetery and census records; Land records; a dynamic version of an 1866 map of the Town; history pages for each hamlet in the town; and extensive search capabilities. The Project has also begun work on an inventory of 19th Century houses in the town which will be posted on the website upon completion. Award reviewer's comments: "Excellent site! Innovative and the hard work shows." "Very ambitious project for an all-volunteer organization: shows great pride in roots and local history, clear goals and attractive web site--easy to navigate." For more information on UHA, contact them at (800) 895 1648 or [log in to unmask] For more information on the Berne Historical Project contact Harold Miller, a Berne Historical Project coordinator, at [log in to unmask] or Ralph Miller, Town of Berne Historian and Berne Historical Project volunteer, [log in to unmask] or telephone (518) 872-0212. _________________________________________________________________ Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail