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OYes @No 5.1. If yes, describe their participation to date and anticipated further participation in this project. 6. Need for Project (Maximum characters 1500.) Discuss the need for the proposed project or activity, as it relates to the preservation of the history of Florida and/or its historical and archaeological resources, including any immediate threats to the historical property/ies, historic resources or materials, archaeological sites or historical information that is the subject of the proposed project. Documentation material, such as newspaper articles, are to be uploaded in the Support Materials section of this application. The story of the Gifford Community in Indian River County dates back to the mid 1800's, when settlement by travelers began. As told by County Historian Ruth Stanbridge, "William Brown, a black farmer, and this family with several others including the Espy, Geoffrey, and Gray, live in the area they would call Brownville in the late 1890s to take up homesteads. Joining many of these settlers where black laborers draw to the work generated by the building of the new Florida East Coast Railroad. By 1894 when the railroad had been completed through the area and south to Ft. Pierce, the name of Brownville could not be used for a railroad stop and Gifford became the official name. By the 1900, Gifford had not only a railroad stop but a post office and a growing African-American community had emerged from the Indian River across the railroad to the western slope of the Atlantic Coast Ridge." There has been effort over the past few decades to record and present the history of Gifford. The Historical Society has arranged for several historic landmark markers that provide information about the significance of specific areas of Gifford. There is a need to tie together many of these historic elements through current media, including signage, video, and brochures so that a greater sense of this history can be expanded upon in our County. The Gifford Community is working to develop an expanded museum - currently there is a museum in the Macedonia Church. The County plans to work with the Community to provide the materials in this grant to supplement their community-based efforts to memorialize and honor this history, with the goal of providing historical education and inspiration to the younger generation.