2003 press releases

U.S. Embassy Presents $28,000 Grant to Restore Kosciuszko Home (September 12, 2003)

The U.S. Embassy on September 12 announced a grant in the amount of $28,281 for the project to rebuild the home of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a native son of Belarus and a hero of the American Revolution.

U.S. Ambassador George Krol; Karen Stewart, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy; Grigory Bysiuk, Head of the Department of Culture of the Brest Region Executive Committee; and Leonid Nesterchuk, coordinator of the restoration project and specialist on the protection of the cultural and historic heritage of the Brest region, attended the September 12 grant-signing ceremony at the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Minsk.

A true son of liberty and democracy, Kosciuszko was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States; father of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and designer of the elaborate fortifications of the U.S. Army Military Academy at West Point, New York. A good portion of his life was spent in fighting for freedom and independence of his homeland.  During Soviet times, his achievements on behalf of Belarus as well as his contributions in the U.S. revolutionary war were forgotten and neglected.

The United States has honored Kosciuszko in many ways, including the placement of his statue in LaFayette park across the street from the White House in Washington. Americans believe that the restoration of his birthplace near Kosava, Belarus, and the establishment of a permanent museum there will represent a fitting and much deserved tribute to one of the greatest Belarusan historical figures.

The U.S. donation represents only a portion of the funding needed to complete the restoration of the Kosciuszko home. The Brest Region Executive Committee has allocated funding for the building project, which has already begun.