Hogan Administration Announces $300,000 to Preserve Maryland Historical Sites

The Hogan Administration announced that the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), a division of the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning), has awarded ten projects $300,000 in Non-Capital Historic Preservation Grants to Maryland nonprofit organizations and local jurisdictions for FY 2019.

“Investing in Maryland’s historic communities leads to increased economic activity and tourism, as well as a better quality of life for our citizens,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “These grants will help identify and record sites across our state, enhancing and preserving Maryland’s rich history for generations to come.”

The grants, made available through Maryland General Assembly special funds, support and encourage research, survey, planning, and educational activities involving architectural, archeological, and cultural resources.

“This funding provides the important base for documenting Maryland’s history to be preserved in a meaningful way and will provide the opportunity to enhance heritage tourism,” said Planning Secretary Robert McCord.

The goal of the Non-Capital Grant Program is to identify, document, and preserve buildings, communities, and sites of historical and cultural importance to the State of Maryland.

This year’s grant awards range from $6,000 to $55,000. MHT received more than $836,000 in Non-Capital grant requests this year.

The availability of fiscal year 2020 Non-Capital grant funds will be announced in the spring of 2019 on MHT’s website (mht.maryland.gov/grants_noncap.shtml). Application deadlines and workshop dates will also be found at the same link.

MHT, the State Historic Preservation Office, is an agency of the Maryland Department of Planning. The Trust was formed in 1961 to assist in identifying, studying, evaluating, preserving, protecting and interpreting Maryland’s significant prehistoric and historic districts, sites, structures, cultural landscapes, heritage areas, cultural objects and artifacts, as well as less tangible human and community traditions.

For more information about the grant program, contact Heather Barrett, Administrator of Research and Survey at MHT, at 410-697-9536 or heather.barrett@maryland.gov. Details on the projects are below.

The Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc. – Location to be Determined
($15,000 grant awarded)

This grant will partially fund the 2019 Field Session in Maryland Archeology at an as-yet undetermined site in the spring of 2019. The field session provides a hands-on opportunity for laypersons to learn archeological methods under the direction of professional archeologists.

Park Heights Renaissance, Inc. – Baltimore City ($20,000 grant awarded)

Project includes the preparation of a National Register nomination for Park Heights Historic District in Baltimore.

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Archaeological Foundation, Inc. – Dorchester County ($15,000 grant awarded)

This project involves conducting a coastal shoreline archeological survey within the Fishing Bay watershed and Nanticoke River mouth in southern Dorchester County. The survey will be carried out along 86 linear miles of coastline to update existing site records and record newly discovered cultural resources.

Hyattsville Community Development Corporation – Prince George’s County ($21,000 grant awarded)

The project includes comprehensive documentation of restrictive deed covenants historically employed in Hyattsville and the development of educational and outreach programs that incorporates the research.

Historic Sotterley, Inc. – St. Mary’s County ($30,000 grant awarded)

Historic Sotterley, a National Historic Landmark, proposes to conduct archeological survey on the historic property to assess, expand, and update its inventory of archeological resources. The Sotterley property has expanded in size since the last archeological survey, with 52 acres now completely un-inventoried.

John Wesley Preservation Society, Inc. – Talbot County ($6,000 grant awarded)

This project includes an archeological survey for planning purposes prior to construction at the John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church in Talbot County, as well as costs associated with development and installation of interpretive signage, and development of a “virtual tour” and oral history website.

The Lost Towns Project, Inc. – Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties ($43,000 grant awarded)

An interdisciplinary team from the Lost Towns Project, Anne Arundel Co., MNCPPC, and Washington College will undertake Phase I of a three-year/multi-phase project to survey and evaluate the prehistoric archeological resources of the Jug Bay Complex. This grant will contribute to a planned National Register nomination in year three.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources – Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Cecil, Frederick, Howard, and Washington Counties ($50,000 grant awarded)

The project involves a survey of four Maryland state parks spanning six counties. Work includes the preparation of Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties (MIHP) and Determination of Eligibility (DOE) forms, plus additional historic context related to park development in the New Deal era.

Somerset County Historical Trust, Inc. – Dorchester and Somerset Counties ($45,000 grant awarded)

Project work includes the completion of a historic sites survey of threatened sites in Somerset and Dorchester counties (Phase II). Phase I of the survey project was funded with FY 2018 Non-Capital grant funds.

The Society for the Preservation of Maryland Antiquities, Inc. –
Statewide Project ($55,000 grant awarded)

This project will develop a historic context for LGBTQ history in Maryland and create a digital map and accompanying database of related sites. The work includes the preparation of one National Register nomination and recommendations for future nominations, amendments, and MIHP forms. Public tours of sites and lectures will highlight the research efforts.