Historic Cemeteries of Maryland
Some of the most sacred sites in Maryland are in impending danger due to environmental factors as well as the passage of time. Cemeteries face resource specific threats including lack of funding for maintenance and conservation as well as pressure to use the land for development. Preservation Maryland will work closely with the Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites to bring much needed attention to the thousands of cemeteries throughout the state that are in disrepair, while also providing the general public with information on how to care for neglected and abandoned cemeteries.
THE PROBLEM
Some of the most sacred sites in Maryland are in impending danger due to environmental factors as well as the passage of time. Cemeteries face resource specific threats including lack of funding for maintenance and conservation as well as pressure to use the land for development. In some cases, questions of ownership also halt preservation.
THE FIX
Preservation Maryland will work closely with the Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites to bring much needed attention to the thousands of cemeteries throughout the state that are in disrepair, while also providing the general public with information on how to care for neglected and abandoned cemeteries. We will also organize volunteer cleanup days at cemeteries around the state.
Updates
JULY 2019
Preservation Maryland’s Cemetery Documentation Specialist, Caroline Herritt, working with the State Highway Administration to document 100 cemeteries across the state will give an update and demonstration about her work in Frederick in July.
MARCH 2019
Working with the Maryland Department of Transportation and the State Highway Administration, Preservation Maryland has embarked on an ambitious project to document 100 cemeteries and burial sites across the state.
MAY 2018
Through a Six-to-Fix partnership, Preservation Maryland is pleased to offer video recordings of the annual conference of the Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites that was was held on Saturday, May 5, 2018 at the Shepard-Pratt Conference Center in Baltimore County.
RESOURCES
The Coalition’s Guide to Burial Site Stewardship
Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites
County-by-County Cemetery Resources and Regulations
Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites
Maryland Burial Law
Maryland Historical Trust
Office of Cemetery Oversight Regulations
Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation
Preserving Grave Markers in Historic Cemeteries
National Park Service
NEWS
11/30/2018
Official Statement: Historic Cemeteries Should be Protected and Preserved
Preservation Maryland
09/28/2018
Maryland church learns about its past following discovery of forgotten cemetery
WUSA
Can we count on you?
Preservation Maryland isn’t just preserving the past – we’re investing in our future. In just the past year we’ve invested heavily in our work and refused to accept the mounting challenges as a reason to retreat or hold our position. You are making it all possible.