Preservation Maryland congratulations all of the recent awardees recognized by the Maryland Historical Trust, including several Heritage Fund-supported organizations and projects.
On January 23, 2020, at the 45th Maryland Preservation Awards, the Maryland Historical Trust Board of Trustees recognized ten outstanding efforts in historic preservation, including education, restoration, and revitalization projects, as well as organizational and individual leadership.
Several of the awardees and their projects were supported in part by funding from the Heritage Fund grant, a joint program of Preservation Maryland and the Maryland Historical Trust. With two grant rounds per year, the Heritage Fund is a unique private and stable source of direct funding for preservation projects across Maryland.
Preservation Maryland commends all award winners from the Maryland Historical Trust, including these Heritage Fund-supported projects:
- Lost Towns Project’s efforts to record, map, and share African American history in Anne Arundel County,
- the C&O Canal Trust for their work rehabilitating Swains Lockhouse, and
- the City of Frederick for producing a public historic preservation toolkit.
ALL 2020 MHT AWARDEES
The C&O Canal National Historical Park for Conococheague Aqueduct in Washington County received an award for Outstanding Stewardship by a Government Agency.
The painstaking restoration of the Conococheague Aqueduct “water bridge” crossing Conococheague Creek has resulted in an influx of visitors to the Park. This is one of the few places in North America where visitors can view and experience a variety of historic canal features in one location.
Lost Towns Project, Inc. and Anne Arundel County won an award for Excellence in Media and Publications.
Lost Towns Project, Inc. in cooperation with Anne Arundel County Office of Planning and Zoning Cultural Resources Division created “African American Voices, Memories and Places: A Four Rivers Heritage Trail”, an online multi-media Story Map tour highlighting African American heritage sites. It was produced with direct participation by the local African American community, resulting in many new audiences to appreciate an under-represented heritage.
The Laurel History Boys of Prince George’s County were presented an award for Excellence in Community Engagement.
Combining their efforts of education and community engagement through a non-profit, Laurelites Richard Friend, Kevin Leonard, and Peter Lewnes are amateur historians, memorabilia collectors, and community promoters who share the history, heritage, and folkways of their hometown, Laurel.
Historic Sotterley, Inc. in St. Mary’s County for “Building Bridges to Common Ground” won an award for Excellence in Public Programming.
Historic Sotterley’s “Building Bridges to Common Ground” programming focused on the study and interpretation of history, drama, genealogy, and archeology to tell the story of the slave trade and its abolition in acknowledgment that examination of painful history can result in healing.
Town of Myersville in Frederick County won a Project Excellence Award for Community Impact for the Restoration of H&F Trolley #150.
Championed by an enthusiastic mayor, the Town of Myersville has relocated and restored Hagerstown and Frederick Railway Trolley #150 to the newly constructed Myersville branch library as an interpretive museum piece to benefit the community.
C&O Canal Trust, Inc. won a Project Excellence Award for Preservation Partnership for the Swains Lockhouse in Montgomery County.
Swains Lockhouse was occupied continuously by the Swain family for more than 100 years. Restoration of the Lockhouse brings this legacy to life and serves an important role in interpreting the story of the C & O Canal as a critical artery of commerce early in the 19th century as the nation expanded westward. The C&O Canal Trust opens the Lockhouse to the public as part of the Canal Quarters program.
The Warren Historic Site Committee, Inc. in Montgomery County was honored for Outstanding Stewardship of Loving Charity Hall, a property with a Maryland Historical Trust Easement.
The Warren Historic Site is the center of Martinsburg, a historic African American enclave, and one of the last sites in Maryland to retain all three of the structures that were the heart of flourishing African American communities of the late-nineteenth/early-twentieth century – the 1914 Loving Charity Hall, the 1903 Warren United Methodist Church and the 1886 Martinsburg Negro School.
Robert C. Clark, Executive Director of Historic Annapolis in Anne Arundel County was awarded for Outstanding Individual Leadership.
Robert C. Clark has served as the President and CEO of Historic Annapolis since 2012. During this time, Historic Annapolis has gained momentum as an organization that supports the community’s rich history, preservation efforts, educational opportunities for schools, and public programs. Clark has been instrumental in forging partnerships and in elevating the profile and visibility of history and heritage in Annapolis.
The City of Frederick won an award for Outstanding Organization Leadership.
The City of Frederick produces a variety of targeted publications, videos, brochures, articles, newspaper inserts, and programming to promote history throughout the community. Particularly notable is Preservation Matters published by the City’s planning department, and Preserve This! video shorts that bring the city’s historic fabric to life.
The Town of Port Deposit in Cecil County won an award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Maryland Historical Trust Easement Property for the Jacob Tome Gas House.
Once dilapidated and vacant but with the distinction of being the last historic building on the Port Deposit waterfront, the 1850 Jacob Tome Gas House has been transformed into a Towson University research and education center and Visitor’s Center for the Town.