Preservation Maryland

Local, state, tribal, and federal agencies use data about ancestry to plan – and evaluate – government programs and policies to ensure that they equitably serve the needs of all groups. As preservationists, this heritage and history are of interest as we work to protect the diverse culture – and the tangible cultural heritage that comes with it – that fills communities over time. Today, on Ancestor Appreciation Day, we celebrate that cultural heritage, including art, food, clothing, styles of architecture, stories, music and knowledge that are passed down to create a sense of belonging.

It also seemed like a fitting time to share a story from our President & CEO Nicholas Redding on his own ancestry. A tangled – and true – web of false identities, bounty jumping (enlisting during the Civil War to collect a bounty and then desert), horse theft, and time in prison. This is a story about what happens when your ancestors are not crowned with glory, and highlights how fascinating ancestry research can be. 

On the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest single day in American history, we’re chronicling just a few of Antietam’s untold stories and unique layers of history. Follow along with Preservation Maryland’s President and CEO Nicholas Redding as he visits the battlefield, located in Sharpsburg, Maryland.

Central to the ability to tell this story is preservation, which is one of the primary reasons that Preservation Maryland launched its own battlefield preservation program aimed at helping to preserve, rehabilitate, and interpret some of the state’s most iconic places — and to make certain that the stories told are comprehensive and inclusive of their long histories.

Memorial Day, the day Americans set aside to remember those who fell in the service of the nation, is a day filled with parades, speeches and moving remembrances of the loved and lost.

Civil War Trails, Inc. is a non-profit organization that coordinates the research and installation of thousands of historic signs across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Now, you can explore their signs online and design your own road trip to explore Civil War history.