On July 6th chicken lovers across the country recognize National Fried Chicken Day. In Maryland, Maryland Chicken or Chicken a la Maryland is one of the most famous historic dishes from the Old Line State. Essential to any summer picnic, we present the history of Maryland Fried Chicken.
In late June of 1863, nearly 150,000 soldiers moved through the narrow and dusty roads of Maryland towards the devastating clash at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, just a few miles north of the Mason-Dixon line.
While the battle unfolded on the fields surrounding Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, much of the campaign that led to the dramatic battle played out in Maryland – with both US and Confederate forces moving across the state and covering their movements as they attempted to outflank and corner their adversary.
On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution stating that “the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white,” and that “the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” More than 100 years later, in 1916, President Wilson officially established June 14 as National Flag Day.
A collective of Maryland organizations and agencies have undertaken and completed a groundbreaking research document, the Maryland LGBTQ Historic Context Study – and is only the second state in the nation to do so. The report released in September 2020, illuminates Maryland LGBTQ history in rural, suburban, and urban locations, including sites associated with non-binary historical figures, leading “out” elected officials, strong community groups and popular gay bars, advocacy for AIDS treatment and marriage equality, and many other important sites. As hoped, the report has also already spurred local efforts to research and preserve specific properties – including two homes in Montgomery County associated with prominent LGBTQ Marylanders.
Watch the Webinar:
Montgomery History invited members of the project team to host and record a live panel discussion focused on the importance of Montgomery County in Maryland LGBTQ history. Moreover, as a known haven for the Maryland LGBTQ community, panelists also spoke about the importance of bringing this history into current conversations about planning in Montgomery County, which is currently working on an update to its comprehensive plan.
The discussion took place the evening of October 7, 2021 via Zoom and Facebook Live and was well-attended by over 80 viewers – many of whom contributely greatly to the conversation with their comments and questions.
Preservation Maryland has been leading a statewide effort to research and preserve LGBTQ history in the Old Line State for several years and the project outcomes, including the latest report, are available to the public on our website.
ACCESS MARYLAND LGBTQ CONTEXT STUDY
Meagan Baco is the Director of Communications at Preservation Maryland, one of the nation’s oldest and largest historic preservation non-profit organizations. Meagan leads the organization’s state and national communications including major programs, like the Campaign for Historic Trades and PreserveCast. Additionally, they have managed diverse public history projects for the organization including about labor history, women’s suffrage and voting rights, and LGBTQ+ history. Meagan is an inaugural fellow of the ARCUS Preservation Leadership program and has completed the Baltimore Planning Academy. Previously, Meagan has held positions at Preservation Action and Clinton Brown Company Architecture. They earned an M.S. in Historic Preservation from Clemson University and the College of Charleston, and a B.A. in Environmental Design from SUNY Buffalo. Meagan lives in Baltimore with their partner and a growing collection of LEGO mini-figs and house plants.
Benjamin C. Egerman is an LGBTQ+ historian and librarian at Baltimore’s central Enoch Pratt Free Library. He has spoken on subjects related to local LGBTQ+ history to audiences at public libraries, for school groups, and LGBTQ+ community groups. From 2018-2020, he worked with Preservation Maryland and Susan Ferentinos, PhD. to provide research and develop an interactive map for the Maryland LGBTQ Historic Context Study, and in 2020 started the Maryland Rainbow History Collection at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, a growing collection of oral histories with LGBTQ+ community elders and activists. He continues to be active in local LGBTQ+ history research, preservation, and education.
Rebeccah has been a preservation planner with local governments in the Washington DC Metro Region since 2003. She has been the supervisor for the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Program since 2018. Rebeccah has been working to document LGBTQ+ resources in her capacity as a preservation planner with local government for the past 5 years. Montgomery County is recognized as a regional leader in its progressive laws and policies protecting and affirming the rights of LGBTQ+ Marylanders. As part of the historic preservation program’s work tell the stories of LGBTQ+ people and places that significantly impacted our county’s development, the Historic Preservation Office is completing architectural survey and archival research of sites associated with LGBTQ+ communities and leaders in Montgomery County.