Green-Wood Cemetery has been awarded a prestigious grant to help preserve their history for years to come.

The cemetery houses artifacts that are rarely seen by the public. Cemetery historian Jeff Richman says that just about all the artifacts collected are related to the people buried at Green-Wood, including letters, paintings and pennants.

The cemetery was recently awarded a $42,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Science. The money will go toward opening a new cemetery welcome center located directly across the street from the main entrance.

The facility will also house a museum that will display all the historical artifacts for the public to see.

Green-Wood officials hope to open their new facility by 2016.