Ten Awards Presented Via Live Stream to Honor Heritage Programs, Rehabilitation Projects, Local Groups and Individual Leadership
(April 27, 2023) CROWNSVILLE, MD – As part of Preservation Month, which begins May 1, the Maryland Historical Trust will present 10 awards for noteworthy accomplishments in the preservation field, recognizing outstanding education, restoration and revitalization projects, as well as organizational and individual leadership.
The 48th annual Maryland Preservation Awards, selected by the Maryland Historical Trust’s Board of Trustees, will be celebrated in local events and live streamed to the Maryland Historical Trust’s social media through early June, with the first event on May 2, 2023. For a list of the events, go to tiny.cc/MHT-Events.
The following people, places, and programs will receive awards in 2023:
Calvert Prize – Dr. Cheryl Janifer LaRoche, PhD (Montgomery County). Receiving the Maryland Historical Trust’s most honored prize, Dr. Cheryl Janifer LaRoche has distinguished herself as a statewide visionary throughout her career as an archaeologist, preservationist, and professor focused on the stories of the African diaspora. She has helped advance the missions of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture and numerous historical sites through her service, advocacy, education, and community engagement.
Outstanding Individual Leadership at the Local Level – C. Sylvia Brown & Eddie C. Brown (Baltimore City). Sylvia and Eddie Brown have exhibited an extraordinary level of philanthropy over decades, opening doors and making significant strides in preserving the history of Baltimore City through important projects such as Solomon’s Corner and the Ivy Hotel.
Outstanding Organizational Leadership at the Local Level – Water's Edge Museum, Bellevue Passage Museum, and UNESCO Middle Passage Marker (Talbot County). The Water’s Edge Museum, Bellevue Passage Museum, and the UNESCO Middle Passage Marker showcase the full breadth of the American story in Oxford and Bellevue, MD, with a focus on the founding Black families of Maryland, Black entrepreneurship and history in the region, and the context of the international slave trade. These three sites work together to give people an immersive experience, where they are empowered to discuss the past and the future in a safe space.
Excellence in Community Engagement – Michael Hunter Thompson for “Fade to Blue” (Allegany County). Michael Hunter Thompson created a community-wide, collective moment of cultural and historical preservation in Cumberland by bringing together thousands of people tied to one site – the Allegany High School at Campobello – through photography, oral history, exhibit curation, and book creation.
Outstanding Stewardship of a Maryland Historical Trust Easement Property – City of Hagerstown for Hagerstown Fairgrounds Entrance Building and Keeper's Residence (Washington County). The City of Hagerstown has worked diligently to save and rehabilitate the long-vacant Hagerstown Fairgrounds Entrance Building and Keeper’s Residence, the last remaining vestiges of the early fairgrounds. The City’s timely response to their deterioration ensures a bright future for these significant and picturesque buildings.
Outstanding Stewardship by a Government Agency – City of Gaithersburg for Crown Farm Corn Crib (Montgomery County). In 2020, the City of Gaithersburg took ownership of the dilapidated Crown Farm Corn Crib and, despite its poor condition, worked with Thaler Reilly Wilson Architecture & Preservation and contractor G-W Management Services LLC to save 75% of the historic fabric. This barn will be a focal point of a three-acre park in the city, an exciting addition to the agricultural interpretation of Gaithersburg’s history.
Excellence in Commercial Rehabilitation – Historic Howard House (Howard County). Now used for rental apartments and small businesses, the Historic Howard House in Old Ellicott City benefited from a beautiful and detailed rehabilitation based on historic photographs. This project received a small commercial tax credit through the Maryland Historic Revitalization Tax Credit program, as well as a federal historic tax credit.
Excellence in Institutional Rehabilitation – The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture (Baltimore City). The nation’s oldest museum building and a National Historical Landmark, the Peale Center completed a significant rehabilitation and is now reopened to the public. Today, they host exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and a workforce development program to help recruit a diverse new generation of preservationists.
Excellence in Historic Preservation & Sustainable Design – Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (Washington County). For years the 0.9-mile stretch of the C&O Canal between McMahon’s Mill and Lock 42 dealt with a weakening wall, sinkholes, washout, and slope failures. Faced with a changing environment and the need for creative and sustainable choices, this project found long-term, sustainable solutions to ensure future generations will continue to learn and enjoy the C&O Canal in its historical context.
Project Excellence: Preservation Partnerships – The Union Mills Flume Restoration Project at Historic Shriver Grist Mill (Carroll County). The Union Mills Flume Restoration Project was a partnership between the County Commissioners of Carroll County, the Union Mills Homestead Foundation, and B. E. Hassett-Millwrights to restore the flume at the 225-year-old mill to working condition, enabling water delivery from the millrace to the mill’s waterwheel, delighting tourists and bringing visitors to the site.
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