The Howard County Conservancy stewards over three centuries of history at Mt. Pleasant Farm, including a newly restored Carriage House, funding in part by the Heritage Fund grant program.
Historic Mt. Pleasant farm was donated for preservation by sisters Ruth and Frances Brown, retired Howard County schoolteachers, in the early 1990s after eight generations of family use. It is now maintained and operated by the Howard County Conservancy for educational programs, special events and is open to the public for hiking, exploring our nature center, and visiting the John L. Clark Honors Garden.
The farm is the only historic farmstead open to the public in the county, attracting and educating approximately 25,000 annual visitors.
The Howard County Conservancy was awarded an $8,000 grant in 2019 from the Heritage Fund for the restoration of the historic carriage house on the Mt. Pleasant property and recently completed the majority of the work. The carriage house was in urgent need of stabilization including replacing rotting wood, and repainting to match the existing colors. The site features a distinctive copula and large front doors. Those doors were recreated and the original hardware reaffixed.
When the interior work is completed and as pandemic safety precautions allow, the Carriage House will be ready to serve as a gathering space for Marylanders and visitors alike.
Visit the Conservancy for a self-guided Hike
Learn More About our Grant Programs
The Heritage Fund grant program is a cooperative effort of Preservation Maryland and the Maryland Historical Trust to provide direct assistance to organizations and municipalities for the protection of historical and cultural resources. Since the program’s beginnings in 1997, the Heritage Fund has distributed nearly $1.5 dollars in direct support across 430 projects – a statewide investment in Maryland’s history and heritage that has leveraged over $20 million dollars of support.
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