New Projects
Investing in the Historic Jonathan Street Community
Hagerstown, Washington County
Preservation Maryland will work in partnership with members of the historic African-American Jonathan Street neighborhood to lead a community driven planning effort that will identify the places and resources that matter to the people who live there. Additionally, Preservation Maryland will deploy new resources and develop new partnerships to help invest in threatened historic resources that can be reused and revitalized to support the needs of the historic community.
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Engaging the Public in Protecting Cemeteries
Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County is home to an abundance of historic cemeteries including several burial grounds for enslaved African Americans. The Cultural Resources Division in Anne Arundel County is working with the community and other partners including through workshops and story maps, to figure out ways to record history and develop consensus around how to capture and store data on cemeteries, particularly African-American cemeteries.
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Honoring the Railroad History of Brunswick
Brunswick, Frederick County
The B&O Railyard was a major part of the development of the City of Brunswick. The WB Tower, built around 1910, controlled the train traffic for the railroad and is currently still situated along the tracks. The City plans to move the iconic tower to the heart of Railroad square to site near the historic B&O caboose and historic Brunswick Train Station. The City plans to raise public awareness of the role of the building in the history of the community as they move the structure and undertake its restoration.
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Continuing Orchard Street Church’s Community Service
Baltimore City
The Greater Baltimore Urban League is a civil rights organization that is housed in the historic Orchard Street Church. The 1882 church has had a long history of community engagement from abolitionist meetings to today’s use as home to the Urban League and the state chapter of the NAACP. The church is in need of urgent repairs in addition to system upgrades. The Greater Baltimore Urban League is looking to find a way to honor their history as they look at a long-term plan to restore and upgrade their headquarters.
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Mapping the Underground Railroad across Maryland
Statewide
The sites of the Underground Railroad were designed to be hidden and secret, presenting a challenge in making sure the important stories of these places are told and preserved. The Maryland Office of Tourism Development is working with the Maryland State Archives, the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, along with other academic and local partners to make sure these places are documented and accepted to the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom program.
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Supporting Chesapeake Conservation & Culture
Easton, Talbot County
Waterfowl Chesapeake seeks to protect waterfowl and their habitats in the Coastal Chesapeake region and supports the annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton. They are headquartered in the 1927 Easton National Guard Armory and are looking to address a number of repair issues that are threatening the long-term stability of the site. One of these issues is both completing much-needed work to the basement to both ensure its stability and make it a space the organization can utilize.
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Current Projects
Adaptive Reuse of the Hamilton Willard Shafer Farm
Frederick County
Just outside of Burkittsville, a well-preserved small historic community in western Frederick County, lies the Shafer Farm, the site of a Union headquarters during the Civil War Battle of South Mountain in 1862. The farm house, barn, and out buildings have been vacant for nearly 20 years and have suffered as a result of deferred maintenance.
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Discovering LGBTQ History
Statewide
Preservation Maryland will lead a collaborative of academic, municipal, and community stakeholders including the University of Maryland, City of Baltimore, and Montgomery County in a statewide strategy to identify and include the important and lasting contributions of Maryland’s LGBTQ community and the places associated with their lives with new and updated nominations to the National Register of Historic Places.
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Baltimore’s Historic Storefronts
Baltimore City
After protests damaged dozens of storefronts in a historic African American commercial corridor, Preservation Maryland and partners advocated for funding to repair the physical wounds and offered professional documentation services prior to restoration work that will be done in a historically-sensitive manner.
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Tubman’s Legacy on the Eastern Shore
Dorchester County
As the Eastern Shore of Maryland is gaining attention as a national destination for telling the story of enslaved Africans, small historic sites like Malone’s Church are now part of a larger storytelling effort.
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Women’s Suffrage
Statewide
Leading up to the 100th Anniversary of the Passage of the 19th Amendment, Preservation Maryland will focus on researching and documenting the tangible connections to the extraordinary fight to gain women the right to vote.
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Phillips Packing House
Cambridge, Dorchester County
The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and Cross Street Partners are tackling an ambitious project to rehabilitate and reuse the historic Phillips Packing Plant in Cambridge into The Packing House mixed-use development. Preservation Maryland will support the effort by identifying funding to support the critical repair of the iconic smokestacks and increasing public awareness of this important preservation project on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
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History of the Jones Falls Mills
Baltimore City
The Jones Falls provided the power that fueled manufacturing in Baltimore in the 19th and 20th centuries. The string of mills built in the valley along the river had an indelible economic and social impact on the surrounding areas, the effect of which can still be felt to this day.
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Glenn Dale Hospital: Breathing New Life into Old Buildings
Prince George's County
The needed array of agencies, strong community concern, and now Preservation Maryland, has recently coalesced to move the needle forward on this long-vacant and large historic campus in Prince George’s County toward an adaptive reuse project that will serve and benefit the neighborhood and beyond.
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Historic Cemeteries of Maryland
Statewide
Some of the most sacred sites in Maryland are in impending danger due to environmental factors as well as the passage of time. Cemeteries face resource specific threats including lack of funding for maintenance and conservation as well as pressure to use the land for development.
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Save the Crane
Baltimore City
At 100 feet tall, this WWII-era crane is a highly visible remnant of Baltimore’s shipbuilding legacy. Although built to withstand the test of time, its unprotected exposure is beginning to deteriorate the structure itself.
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Save City Dock in Annapolis
Annapolis, Anne Arundel County
Located on the downtown Annapolis waterfront, City Dock is a vital part of the Colonial Annapolis National Register Historic District, but recently proposed rezoning threatens to undo the character of the historic waterfront. In response to that threat, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed City Dock as one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2018.
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Save Historic Ellicott City
Ellicott City, Howard County
Over the past two years, Preservation Maryland has been an active partner in the flood response and recovery efforts in historic Ellicott City. Our work, in coordination with our public and private partners, has ensured that not a single building was lost. We have recommitted in the face of the threat of demolition – not from flooding – but from a recent Howard County Government plan that calls for the demolitions of a dozen historic properties in the National Register historic district. Our efforts have included funding a grant programs, providing one-on-one technical assistance to property owners, and offer several alternatives to the demolition plan.
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Pleasant View: From Civil War to Civil Rights
Montgomery County
With an active Board of Trustees wanting to do the right thing by their historic site, Preservation Maryland connected the community with preservation professionals to envision and plan the future of this important place for African-American history from Civil War to Civil Rights.
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The Dielman Inn
Carroll County
With the strong support of town leadership, the ca. 1815 Dielman Inn has a chance to once more serve the needs of this small town community in Carroll County.
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Antietam Battlefield: A Cleanup Campaign
Washington County
The site of “The Final Attack” at Antietam was a conclusive moment in the Civil War but maintaining an ever-growing landscapes isn’t easy in the context of the many acres of the larger Battlefield site.
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Finding Fort Tonoloway
Hancock, Washington County
In use for one year before the establishment of nearby Fort Frederick, the precise location of Fort Tonoloway has been lost. Preservation Maryland will join with the Maryland Park Service and the American Battlefield Protection Program to embark on an archaeological project to find the location of Fort Tonoloway.
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Planning for Sea-Level Rise in Dorchester County
Dorchester County
Due to the necessity of water our Maryland historic resources are often located in coastal areas and thus disproportionately at risk from increasing sea-level rise and large storm events. As many of these resources will likely be lost, now is the time for documentation.
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The Beatty-Cramer House
Frederick County
The circa 1732 The Beatty-Cramer House is one of Maryland’s most unique historic homes – a stunning blend of Dutch and English architecture. Owned by the Frederick County Landmarks Foundation, the building needs a new use and purpose. Preservation Maryland will support a new vision for the site and work with the Foundation to identify a sustainable and long-term reuse plan.
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Hughesville Tobacco Warehouses
Hughesville, Charles County
With over 72,000 square feet of space, the historic Winstead Company complex is poised for renewal and rebirth. Preservation Maryland and Smart Growth Maryland will work with the Charles County Department of Planning & Growth Management to support the adaptive reuse of this significant site and assist with crafting appropriate architectural upgrades as well as helping to recruit prospective tenants.
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Cultural Landscapes of the Eastern Shore
Kent County
Kent County remains a truly picturesque rural, historic landscape, but recently, solar and wind farms have been proposed, which could drastically alter the look and feel of the region.
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Historic Resources in Maryland’s State Parks
Statewide
One of the top reasons people visit Maryland’s State Parks is for the historic resources! The Maryland Department of Natural Resources stewards more of the state’s historic and architectural resources than any other entity.
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Holly Hall: The Grand Dame of Elkton
Cecil County
At over 200 years old, Holly Hall is an iconic piece of the city of Elkton’s history. The mansion is currently in need of restoration and preservation, something that Elkton’s Mayor Robert J. Alt identified as one of his goals when he took office.
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Newtowne Manor Religious Complex
St. Mary’s County
The St. Francis Xavier Church and Newtowne Manor House in St. Mary’s County represents an example of a self-contained, self-supporting Jesuit community. Unfortunately, the majority of the diverse buildings on the site have suffered from disuse, with broken windows, wildlife, and water penetrating through the historic foundation.
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Valve House at Clifton Park
Baltimore City
From an age when municipal buildings stood as a testament to a city’s pride, the Valve House, in its current state, stands as a reminder that buildings need utility. Preservation Maryland will work to strengthen community support for the revitalization of the Valve House, to develop a list of potential uses for the building, and to assist CivicWorks in obtaining a long term lease on the structure clearing a path towards purpose and reuse.
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