A cooperative effort of Preservation Maryland and Maryland Historical Trust, the Heritage Fund has distributed over $1M to over 450 preservation projects across the state since 1996. During this grant cycle we received 77 eligible applications, which broke last year’s record as the most applications received in a single cycle.
FY25 includes 18 total projects and more than $125,000 awarded, leveraging more than $500,000 in total project budgets.
2025 Awardees
Kennard Alumni Association, Inc.
Kennard African American History Digital Preservation project
$10,000
Queen Anne’s County
Kennard Alumni Association, Inc. will establish a digital archive detailing the rich African American heritage of Queen Anne’s County. In collaboration with Washington College and other community and academic partners, the project will follow a “community curation” model pioneered by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture where local residents and volunteers can include their own family histories in the collection. The result will be an interactive digital resource featuring family photos, home movies, oral histories, and archival materials, offering valuable insights for both the community and scholars.
Mt. Pleasant Heritage Preservation, Inc.
Mounting the Summer Kitchen Cannery project
$10,000
Caroline County
Mt. Pleasant Heritage Preservation Inc. will rehabilitate and establish the Summer Kitchen of Mt. Pleasant Acres Farm. Originally on the William Collier Farm near Baltimore Corner, the Summer Kitchen was relocated to its current location at Mt. Pleasant Acres Farm, when the building was gifted to the Caroline County Historical Society for use interpreting the Underground Railroad. Once completed, the Summer Kitchen will be used as a community and educational space to revitalize traditional food preservation practices and foster food sovereignty.
Prathertown Community Development Corporation
$10,000
Montgomery County
Prathertown Community Development Corporation will prepare a Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties (MIHP) form to document the cultural and architectural history of the historic African American community. Tradition states that Prathertown was established in the wake of the Civil War by the Prather family. Much of would be owned and developed by the extended kindship community was originally sold to the Prather’s in 1883 by neighboring white landowner, William Benson. This project will provide baseline documentation of this historic community and help to shape future preservation planning efforts.
Towson University
2025 Summit of Maryland Indigenous Peoples and Archaeologists
$10,000
Statewide
Towson University will hold the 2025 Summit of Maryland Indigenous Peoples and Archaeologists. Co-hosted with the Council for Maryland Archaeology, the first ever Summit was held last year in 2024 with the goal to bring the historic preservation community and Maryland Indigenous peoples together to discuss best practices for collaboration and consultation. The event was a huge success, attended by more than 75 individuals from preservation and Indigenous communities. The 2025 Summit of Maryland Indigenous Peoples and Archaeologists is scheduled to be held September 2025.
Rock Hall Yacht Club Sailing School, Inc.
Mench Ark/Fishing Shanty Rehabilitation project
$9,630
Kent County
Rock Hall Yacht Club Sailing School, Inc. will rehabilitate the Mench Ark, a tangible and vernacular piece of the Chester River and Rock Hall area’s fishing heritage. An ark, or a houseboat, was used by fishing crews as early as the 1880s. Each season a crew’s ark was towed to a distant location for the crew to use. The project will rehabilitate the structure and will include interpretive signage as a teaching tool that will enable better understanding of this unique historical vessel.
Town of North East
Historic Lock Up/Town Hall Stair Replacement project
$9,600
Cecil County
Town of North East will repair and rebuild the stairs of the c. 1860 old Town Hall building, as part of a larger rehabilitation of the property. Once the project is complete, the landmark will be available for municipal and community events.
The Elkridge Heritage Society, Inc.
Brumbaugh House and Museum Rehabilitation project.
$9,500
Howard County
Elkridge Heritage Society Inc. will complete final necessary repairs and upgrades as part of the larger renovation project of the Brumbaugh House and Museum. The Society has owned the property since 1986. Built c. 1870, the house was the longtime home to Dr. Benjamin Bruce Brumbaugh and his family. For nearly 50 years Brumbaugh, assisted by his wife Miriam Smith, provided low cost, quality health care to the greater Elkridge community.
City of Cumberland
Early Immigration Patterns and Ethnic Enclaves from 1850-1902 project
$9,000
Allegany County
City of Cumberland will continue research on immigration patterns during the second half of the 19th century and into the early half of the 20th century. Using initial research complied by Allegany High School students, the city will retain a preservation consultant to build upon that research to discover more about the cultural and architectural foundations laid by early immigrant populations.
City of Frederick
Updating the Frederick Historic District National Register Nomination project
$8,640
Frederick County
City of Frederick will update the Frederick Historic District National Register nomination, originally listed in 1998. The selected consultant will address final requested revisions from the National Park Service so that the updated nomination will be certified. The completion of this project is paramount so that the City may be able to utilize the updated nomination as part of the City’s upcoming 5-year Historic Preservation Plan, and Comprehensive Plan.
Baltimore Compost Collective
Preserving the Franklintown Mill Warehouse
$8,000
Baltimore City
Baltimore Compost Collective will complete necessary feasibility studies to support the preservation of the Franklintown Mill Warehouse, a contributing resource to the Franklintown Historic District. The historic district is listed in the National Register and locally landmarked in Baltimore. The long vacant and endangered former mill warehouse is located on property recently purchased by the Baltimore Compost Collective. The organization plans to rehabilitate the structure and incorporate it into their goal of establishing a Zeror Waster incubator and youth empowerment program on site.
Chesapeake Heritage Conservancy, Inc.
Skipjack Martha Lewis Rehabilitation for U.S. Coast Guard Certification project
$6,000
Harford County
Chesapeake Heritage Conservancy Inc. will undertake necessary repairs and improvements to qualify the historic Skipjack Martha Lewis for US Coast Guard Certification. Retired since 2012, the Conservancy seeks recertification so they can revive their heritage tourism and educational tour programming for both adults and schoolchildren. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Skipjack Martha Lewis was built in 1955 and is an excellent example of a regionally distinctive type of sailing vessel which was developed in the late 19th century to serve the oyster industry of the Chesapeake Bay.
Maryland Museums Association, Inc.
Maryland Museum Economic Impact Report project
$5,000
Statewide
Maryland Museums Association, Inc. will undertake an economic and educational impact analysis of the more than 450 museums across the state. The milestone report intends to create an accurate and relevant dataset about the positive impact of museums and their importance to the economic and educational well-being of Marylanders.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Lappans
Historic Moeller Organ Repair project
$5,000
Washington County
Project St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Lappans, will repair their 1927 M.P. Moeller Pipe Organ which was built in Hagerstown. Needed improvements include electrical and mechanical work, repairs to the pipes and organ tremelo, and repairs to the ivory keys. Mathias Peter Moeller, a Danish immigrant, originally started his pipe-organ business in Pennsylvania but relocated to Hagerstown in 1881; Moeller closed in 1992.
Vestry of Zion Parish, St. John’s Episcopal Church
Cemetery Rehabilitation project
$5,000
Prince George’s County
Vestry of Zion Parish, St. John’s Episcopal Church will repair and stabilize grave markers at the St. John’s Episcopal Church cemetery in Beltsville. Per the MIHP form, the cemetery has interments as early as 1809.
Patapsco Heritage Greenway
Cemetery Preservation Toolkit
$4,000
Multiple
Patapsco Heritage Greenway will develop a cemetery preservation toolkit for cemeteries and their management entities in the Patapsco Valley Heritage Area. This toolkit will help them consider and explore resources related to cemetery preservation.
Howard County Conservancy
Documenting Black History at Mt. Pleasant Farmstead project
$3,500
Howard County
Howard County Conservancy will complete new research focused on the African American experience at Mount Pleasant, a c.1775-1950s farm. Owned by the Brown family for over 200 years, the last descendant passed away in 1992 and the property was left to the Howard County Conservancy. New research uncovered that the farm was home to as many as 27 enslaved people. This project involves completing additional research to develop an updated and more complete history of the farm, which will lay the groundwork for future interpretive signs, programming, and continued preservation planning efforts.
Alice Ferguson Foundation
Celebrating Maryland 250: An exhibit of Piscataway Heritage and WPA-Era Art
$2,000
Prince George’s County
The Alice Ferguson Foundation will develop an exhibit in celebration of American’s 250th anniversary. This exhibit will serve as the centerpiece of a broader cultural heritage initiative that honors the legacies of the Piscataway people and WPA Era women artist. 3D scans of Piscataway artifacts which are in the process of being repatriated back to the Piscataway Conoy Tribe of Maryland. Alice Ferguson, Lenore Thomas Strausand, and Helen Rennie are some of the artists whose work will be permanently housed at the museum.
Washington County Historical Trust
Neikirk House and Reichard Farmstead Dendrochronology Project
$658.12
Washington County
Washington County Historical Trust will test samples from the Neikirk House and Reichard Barn in Hagerstown. Character defining features suggest that the log house and barn may be late 18th century construction and therefore successfully options for dendrochronological studies. With development pressures mounting, testing the three buildings found on the property will provide a valuable data set to help guide continued documentation and advocacy efforts.