As America confronts the history and legacy of its Civil War, Preservation Maryland President and CEO Nicholas Redding recently visited the Antietam Battlefield, located in Sharpsburg, Maryland, to chronicle just a few of the site’s untold stories and unique layers of history.
Relic hunting has exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic with families looking for socially distanced, outdoor activities. Most of these history-lovers are unaware that sensitive historic sites might be damaged in the process. Meanwhile, archaeologists are alarmed by the damage but rarely reach out to the relic hunting community to find productive alternatives to what they see as “looting”. It’s time to talk about it! Join a panel of archaeologists and avocationalists for a civil conversation about positive ways to discover the marvels of the past. Hosted in cooperation with the Council for Maryland Archaeology. This webinar is part of the Council for Maryland Archeology Webinar series. For more information on the webinar series, visit https://cfma-md.com/.
Under contract with Preservation Maryland, Hanbury Preservation Consulting conducted two virtual public meetings earlier this month for a project related to the future of Falling Waters Battlefield in Washington County, Maryland.
War Correspondent's Memorial at South Mountain Battlefield State Park. Flickr user lcm1863.
Preservation Maryland is currently accepting proposals to complete a preservation project at the South Mountain Battlefield. The project is funded by the American Battlefield Protection Program.
Project Update: This RFP is now closed. For more information about this project, click here.
GA#2287-17-012
Public Consensus Building Plan for the South Mountain Battlefield
Preservation Maryland is seeking Proposals from a consulting firm or practice with demonstrated expertise in the preparation of historic preservation and planning reports as applied to land protection, historic preservation and battlefield sites.
The Battle of South Mountain, which includes the Crampton’s Gap, Fox Gap, and Turner’s Gap Battlefields, occurred on September 14, 1862. The battlefield’s three gaps span an approximately 10 mile range and the battlefield itself represents approximately 8,500 acres. The battle was one of the critical events preceding the Battle of Antietam in Sharpsburg on September 17, 1862.
This proposed project will prepare a strategic vision and plan for the protection of the three battlefields while also considering the preservation of the recently acquired Shafer Farmhouse as a resource for public use. The Shafer house served as the headquarters for Major General William B. Franklin during the battle on September 14, 1862 and is located at a critical intersection of two main roads in the center of the battlefield.
The project will assess local interest in protecting sites on private property and develop a detailed plan based on this input and findings. This will be accomplished through a series of public meetings, consultation with land owners, American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP), National Park Service, Maryland Park Service, Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area, local government, and other stakeholders. The final product will be a report on the consensus building process, conclusions, recommendations, and protection strategies for the Battle of South Mountain and the Shafer Farmhouse. Funding for the project is provided by the American Battlefield Protection Program, a division of the National Park Service. The ABPP will have continual involvement and consultation throughout the project.
Details of the project are shown in the scope of work. The project will be developed and deliverables produced during the period February 2018 through December 2018.
The contractor, who must document their ability to meet the Secretary of the Interior Professional Qualification Standards (36 CFR Part 61), shall provide the following services:
2.1 Research, identify, inventory, and map cultural and natural resources associated with the Battle of South Mountain and the site of Shafer Farm. The field inventory shall include property boundaries, land uses, zoning information, hydrographic data, battlefield movement, past archeological research data, structures, roads, railroad rights-of-way, and 3D topographic representation (including sections) of the area. This data shall be expressed in GIS and paper formats. All GIS data files shall be in a shapefile (*.shp) or GeoDatabase format, preferably a GeoDatabase format. Federal Geographic Data Committee compliant data set level metadata shall be submitted for each shapefile or feature class included. All cultural resources delineated with GIS data (points, lines or polygons) should further be submitted in compliance with the NPS Cultural Resource Spatial Data Transfer Standards with complete feature level metadata. Template GeoDatabases and guidelines for creating and submitting GIS data in the NPS cultural resource spatial data transfer standards can be found at the NPS Cultural Resource GIS Facility webpage.
2.2 Deliver to Preservation Maryland upon the beginning of the project a detailed work plan. This plan shall include all tasks planned to accomplish the scope of the grant, projected timelines, and an outline of the proposed final report. The final report should be a plan that outlines the vision of future preservation efforts at South Mountain, including use of historic structures at the Shafer Farm. The report shall examine current planning endeavors executed by various agencies and organizations, and shall make recommendations for landscape preservation, site access, and appropriate use of the Shafer Farm. The report should have alternatives, tasks, costs and steps broken down for implementation within a reasonable period of time.
2.3 Coordinate a public planning process which shall include three public meetings. The first meeting will assist in determining the Frederick County community’s vision for the South Mountain Battlefield. The second meeting will assist in determining the Washington County community’s vision for the South Mountain Battlefield. The third meeting shall be near the completion of the project to allow community review of the research and draft document. This final meeting shall be held no later than 60 days prior to the final completion dates of the project, allowing time for any changes or modifications to the final report document. The ABPP must approve of any proposed alternatives prior to the final meeting. Meetings will be advertised in advance in local media outlets and postcards will be sent to landowners in the project area. Cost for these advertisements and mailings will be paid separately from the consultancy fee, but will be arranged by the consultant.
2.4 Coordinate two additional key stakeholder meetings (kickoff and conclusion) and a tour of existing resources, including the Shafer farm to inform discussion.
2.5 Work with specific agencies as appropriate to ensure that the work performed meets requirements.
2.6 Following approval of the final report document, the consultant shall provide Preservation Maryland with fifty (50) acid-free paper copies of the Final Plan. One (1) digital copy on CD shall be delivered at that time also. All materials belong to Preservation Maryland and the ABPP.
3.1 Proposals submitted against this Request for Proposals must be received by 6:00PM EST, on January 25, 2018. Proposals that arrive after this date and time will not be considered and will be returned to the sender. Notification of final selection and award of the project will occur on or about February 14, 2018.
3.2 Proposals for this RFP should be submitted to:
Attn: Nicholas Redding
Preservation Maryland
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 248
Baltimore, MD 21211
3.3 Any questions regarding this RFP are to be directed to: nredding@presmd.org.