Dear Friend,

During this ongoing pandemic, I’ve been thinking about our National Trust community and hope you are doing well, despite everything. I’ve also been reflecting on how COVID-19 has kept us apart from the people and places we love—which has only deepened my appreciation for how historic sites connect us to one another.

That’s because these landmarks, landscapes, and neighborhoods have the unique ability to tie people with place, past with present, individual with community. These national treasures relate the stories that shape our common identity, shining a light on our interconnectedness. But it’s up to us to ensure that they will still be standing today, tomorrow, and long into the future.

Friend, as someone who truly understands what’s at stake, will you join our loyal group of Preservation Partners monthly donors? Our Partners help to create reliable funds for the places that demand our assistance over the long term, so we can plan for the unpredictable—including site closures, weather events, and staff shortages—which is essential during these times.

As one of our Preservation Partners, you’ll be reassured that your commitment is making a difference for America’s historic places. You’ll enjoy benefits like our award-winning Preservation magazine. And you’ll never receive a renewal notice, thanks to the convenience of automatic monthly deductions.

The National Trust is looking for 21 new Preservation Partners to kick off 2021. Will you answer the call of this vital goal? We’ll send you this tote as a token of our gratitude when you donate just $7 or more a month.

Your monthly support will create a reliable stream of funding that goes further for protecting sites like these, through what looks to be another challenging year ahead:

• The John and Alice Coltrane Home: this modest Long Island house is where the musicians composed groundbreaking albums including “A Love Supreme,” whose outsize influence inspires musicians around the world today. Your Preservation Partners gift helps us address the neglect and disrepair at this site.


• Farnsworth House: the Modernist masterpiece by architect Mies van der Rohe was built in the early 1950s as a country retreat for Chicago nephrologist Dr. Edith Farnsworth, who yearned for a tranquil place to play her violin, translate poetry, and enjoy nature. Situated 55 miles away in Plano, Illinois, the house is justifiably world famous. But a 70-year old house requires generational reinvestment. Your monthly gift will help to address damage like rusting steel, crumbling travertine, failing window gaskets, and fading interior woodwork so we can continue to experience the same sense of retreat and reconnection to nature that Edith Farnsworth did!


• Route 66: our nation’s most famous connective artery, tying together small towns, eccentric Americana, and mom-and-pop businesses. This highway continues to loom large in our popular culture, lore, and imaginations. Your Preservation Partners gift supports seeking permanent federal legislation for Route 66 as a National Historic Trail to make sure this roadway will endure, so that all can enjoy a quintessentially American experience.

Our nation’s historic places need sustained resources to safeguard the stories of our shared narrative—something that feels more crucial than ever as this pandemic keeps us in isolation. Will you become a Preservation Partner by making a monthly gift?

Please make a recurring donation by January 31 to ensure that we can respond to critical needs in the coming year and beyond.

Thank you for everything you do.

Take care,

Elizabeth Bruns Director of Member Engagement