Above: Owner and curator Jeanette Iurato takes Gottheimer on a tour of the Blairstown Museum

On Thursday, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) toured the Blairstown Museum, a non-profit museum that his office helped fight back against the IRS bureaucracy to get its 501(c)3 status, and discussed possible federal grant opportunities.

“The Blairstown Museum has boosted the local economy by bringing in tourists from around the world and is preserving the history of the Blairstown area for future generations to learn from,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “I am proud to be able to cut needless red tape for the Blairstown Museum and get them their non-profit status with the IRS. My team is here to help residents, businesses, and museums like this in the Fifth District experiencing difficulties with federal agencies to get problems solved for the good of North Jersey.”

In September 2016, Jeanette Iurato, the Museum’s owner and curator, filed for 501(c)3 status for the museum. For 11 months Iurato did not hear back from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regarding her application. In August of 2017, she contacted Congressman Gottheimer’s office to help her get an answer. The office sent a letter to the IRS and a week later the Blairstown Museum was granted non-profit status. As a result, the museum’s legitimacy within the community increased and with it, donations.

In 2017, the Blairstown Museum put on 94 events and thus far in 2018 has put on over 100. The events revolve around the town’s history, including being one of the filming sites of the iconic 1980 horror film, Friday the 13th.