Preservation and Tourism Organizations Announce Maryland Heritage Recovery Task Force

07/19/2023
By Dana Cohen

Getting a Plaque for Your Historic Home (Frederick County)

The Frederick County Landmarks Foundation has brought back a popular free series of how-to seminars on how to obtain a plaque for a historic home. At each event, staff from the Frederick County Public Library’s Maryland Room, which specializes in local history, will introduce the basics of how to document your home’s past. Volunteers from the Landmarks Foundation will also be on hand to answer questions.

In re-launching the popular series, which had been suspended during the pandemic, FCLF is helping celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of its historic plaque program. More than 400 structures, including public, religious and commercial structures as well as houses, have won the recognition over the years.

The Landmarks Foundation awards the familiar cast-iron oval plaques to owners of structures that are more than 100 years old, possess historical and/or architectural significance by themselves or as part of a streetscape, and have retained physical integrity. Each plaque bears a brass plate with the property’s unique registry number.

The remaining seminars will be held:

Sat., Aug. 5, 1 p.m. — Point of Rocks Library
Sat., Sept. 9, 1 p.m. — Emmitsburg Library
Sat., Sept. 23, 1 p.m. — Myersville Library

For more information about the Frederick County Landmarks Foundation and its programs, visit https://www.fredericklandmarks.org/ .

07/03/2023
By Preservation Maryland

$3.8M in Action Fund Grants Help Protect 40 African American Historic Sites

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, through its African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, announced $3.8 million in grant funding to 40 sites and organizations representing African American history.

06/20/2023
By Dana Cohen

Statewide Preservation Plan Public Meetings in July

The Maryland Historical Trust will host public meetings to solicit feedback about goals and recommended actions for the statewide preservation plan – an eight-year guidance document for government agencies, non-profit advocates, and others involved in historic preservation, archaeology and cultural heritage.

Preservation and Tourism Organizations Announce Maryland Heritage Recovery Task Force

05/14/2020
By Elly Colmers Cowan

In the face of the ongoing pandemic, Preservation Maryland convened a task force of history, preservation, economic development, design, and tourism organizations to focus on identifying and advocating for public policy necessary to support the recovery of Maryland’s historical and cultural resources and the communities they support.

Maryland’s unique cultural attractions draw visitors from around the world and support countless local businesses while providing nearly $320 million in local and state tax revenue and generating $1.3 billion in economic activity annually. Unfortunately, these venues and the main street communities in which they reside have been hit hard by the economic fallout of the pandemic and will require targeted support as the state and nation move from sheltering to recovery.

The Maryland Heritage Recovery Task Force is comprised of public and private organizations that characterize all aspects of the broad and diverse historic preservation community – from Main Street organizations to history museums, architectural firms, and preservation rehabilitation developers.

JOIN THE TASK FORCE

Organizations, agencies, or companies wishing to add their support to the Recovery Task Force are encouraged to do so. Fill out the form below and someone from the Task Force will be in touch about next steps. Individuals looking to stay informed or get involved, please sign up for our email alerts.

TASK FORCE SIGN-ON

The Task Force will work together to help identify what local, state, and federal policy actions could be implemented to help with recovery of this critical sector of Maryland’s economy from the impacts of Covid-19.

“The situation for the heritage tourism and preservation industries in Maryland is becoming desperate,” explained Nicholas Redding, Executive Director of Preservation Maryland. “This new task force is an outgrowth of a real grassroots desire to help preservation and heritage organizations recover after the disastrous blow that has been dealt by the response to Covid-19. Community leaders and business owners are coming to recognize that the economic value of this work is immense. We are stronger when we stand together, and we believe that by combining our efforts we can turn retreat into advance.”

The Steering Committee of the newly formed Heritage Recovery Task Force includes:

Elly Colmers Cowan · Director of Government Relations

Elly Cowan works at the local, state, and federal levels to advance the historic preservation, smart growth, and community development policies that make Preservation Maryland's work possible.

Meet Our Team

TASK FORCE

Preservation Maryland