Projects in southwest Minnesota were included in a total of more than $276,000 in small grants recently awarded to history organizations statewide. This week, the Minnesota Historical Society announced that the Lake Benton Opera House and the Lac qui Parle County Historical Society in Madison each received state grant funds.

The small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofits, educational organizations, local governments and tribes preserve Minnesota history, the MNHS said. A total of 20 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants were awarded to projects in 17 counties.

Projects in Lake Benton and Madison were on the list of grants announced Monday. Lake Benton Opera House, Inc., was awarded a grant of $20,000 to help with preservation of the Opera House and Kimball Building. The buildings, located in Lake Benton’s downtown, are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The grant funding for the Opera House will go to pay for professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the Opera House and Kimball Building, the MNHS said. The Lake Benton Opera House was built in the 1890s, and served as both a performance venue and a movie theater over the course of its history. Today, the Opera House is still in active use for events like community theater productions.

The MNHS said the Lac qui Parle County Historical Society was also awarded a grant of $11,315. The funds will be used to buy a microfilm reader, as well as a printer and scanner. The project will help make microfilmed historical records more accessible to the public, the MNHS said.