DANA, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Ernie Pyle World War II Museum has been working to expand, and a local foundation just gave them a boost.
The museum has been looking to add a Veterans Memorial Park next to their building.
Dale White, Executive Director of the Western Indiana Community Foundation, said the foundation has joined in those efforts by awarding them a $50,000 donation to jumpstart the project.
“We raise private donations from the community then we invest those donations and use a portion of the earnings to award grants back to community projects”, White said.
Max Jones, a Board Member of the Friends of Ernie Pyle, said the donation will begin construction on phase I of a Veterans Memorial Park.
“What that’s going to allow us to do is to erect an Ernie Pyle statue”, Jones said. “It’s a great sculpture that will be the centerpiece of the park. This initial donation will also allow us to get started putting in some new restrooms as well.”
The project is multiple phases, and the Friends of Ernie Pyle have already laid out future plans for the space.
“A few things that we will see”, Jones said. “One will be a performance stage, that we expect will be a covered stage, so there can be events that will take place here. We’re also going to have an Ernie Pyle legacy walk, which will recount some of Ernie Pyle’s history.”
Board Member of the Friends of Ernie Pyle, Becky Holbert, said they hope the park will attract local residents and tourists to the area, getting an education on the famous journalist.
“Not only locally, but regionally, this will bring folks to west central Indiana”, Holbert said. “It will help tell the story of the greatest generation through Ernie Pyle’s eyes. He just had a gift for telling the story, not only during World War II, but in his earlier years as a roving reporter.”
The Friends of Ernie Pyle are expecting the project to take about $1.4 million in total and are hoping the first phase will draw more of the local community to support the project.
