As we gear up to welcome 2024, we’re reflecting back on our most popular content from 2023 – from major program announcements, to big preservation wins, to unique stories in Maryland’s history – here are your top blogs from each month!
January
We announced our Best of Maryland Preservation Champion awards, highlighting legislators that make Maryland such a special place to live, work, explore, and celebrate. Senator Cory McCray, Senator Sarah Elfreth, Delegate Stephanie Smith, and Former Delegate Eric Luedtke received awards.
February
In honor of the month of love, our team shared what they love about historic preservation, of which there are many: the history, the spaces, the stories, the innovation, the community, the passion, the hands-on work, and the value it brings to places, people, and community.
March
We released an updated version to our Revitalizing Rural Maryland guide. The organization’s longstanding work in rural regions of the state was the inspiration for compiling this guide. Having seen projects and efforts stall due to a lack of resources or awareness of available support, the goal of this guide is to connect communities to the tools and resources they need to succeed and to identify useful case studies from which communities can draw inspiration and assistance. You can find this guide and other Preservation Maryland publications here.
April
We had a two-way tie this month! Readers celebrated the passage of our priority legislation, SB0425 (HB0674), which accelerates support for challenging preservation projects around the state, signed into law April 24, 2023 by Gov. Wes Moore.
Our President & CEO Nicholas Redding stood alongside Gov. Moore, Lt. Governor Aruna Miller, Senate President Bill Ferguson, Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones, and Sen. Sarah Elfreth, who, along with Del. Courtney Watson, first introduced the bill, at the bill signing ceremony.
Thanks to the advocacy efforts of Preservation Maryland and our partners, as well as the support of key legislators, we saw several pieces of important legislation pass in the 2023 session.
Equally as popular was news of The Campaign for Historic Trades’ customized training program. The Campaign partnered with Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) to create a customized training program focused on providing participants with an introduction to the preservation trades. The 12-week program is comprised of 60 contact hours of instruction including lectures, in-class activities, demonstrations, site visits, and shop tours.
May
Another tie! First, we kicked off National Preservation Month where we highlighted preservation as a workforce pipeline and how strong advocacy often makes preservation possible. We then celebrated the passage of federal legislation the Frederick Jobs and Historic Preservation Training Center Land Acquisition Act in Congress, providing the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center, located in Frederick, Maryland, with the congressional authority to acquire up to 20 acres to build out a fully functioning center for historic trades training. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Congressman David Trone (D-Md.), Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor, and Frederick County Council President Brad Young joined Preservation Maryland’s President & CEO Nicholas Redding and National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center’s (HPTC) Superintendent Moss Rudley for the event, which included a guided tour of HPTC’s current facility and a formal program at Frederick’s Visitor’s Center.
We also recognized farmers from the (then) newly authorized Peace and Plenty Rural Historic District located in the New Market District of southwestern Frederick County that includes eight farms and one agricultural lime plant on over 1,000 acres of land.
“The addition of the Peace and Plenty Rural Historic District is an important step forward for Frederick County and the State of Maryland, as this is one of the first rural historic districts locally designated with design oversight in the state. The addition also preserves and protects the historically important rural resources and stunning landscapes that have a deep historical significance to Frederick County and Maryland. The farmers are a vital piece of this story and the successful preservation of our rural resources.”
-Nicholas Redding, president & CEO, Preservation Maryland
June
Our 2023 Heritage Fund recipients are announced.
The FY24 nominations are now open!
July
Preservation Maryland and its statewide program, Smart Growth Maryland, convened in Brunswick, Maryland for a first-of-its-kind roundtable discussion on the intersection of smart growth, historic preservation, and affordable housing. Several elected and state cabinet officials participated in the conversation, including Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, Brunswick Mayor Nathan Brown, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jacob Day, and Chuck Boyd, representing Maryland Department of Planning Secretary Rebecca Flora.
August
Preservation Maryland was awarded $747,216 in funding from the National Park Service to preserve the historic Rock Run Mill, a contributing resource to the Lower Deer Creek Valley National Historic District, located within Susquehanna State Park in Havre De Grace, Maryland.
The Maryland Park Service (Maryland Department of Natural Resources) and Preservation Maryland are partnering on the project; work will result in restoration of the roof, windows, doors, masonry, and structural components of the late 18th-century mill, as well as site work to protect the foundation from flood damage.
“Preservation Maryland is committed to revitalizing Maryland communities and preserving their unique history,” said Preservation Maryland President & CEO Nicholas Redding. “This grant, one of the largest received in the organization’s 90+-year history, allows us to preserve an early piece of our nation’s story. We’re thrilled to partner with the Maryland Park Service to preserve the structure as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026.”
Preservation Maryland’s Historic Property Redevelopment Manager Laura Houston, who will be managing the project for the organization, added “Restoration of this remarkably unaltered 18th c. structure will allow it to remain a site of education for the public, a connection to our nation’s early years, and an exemplary resource for the Susquehanna State Park.”
September
The Preservation Maryland team hosted a book release party celebrating Scott Hartwig’s newest book, I Dread the Thought of the Place: The Battle of Antietam and the End of the Maryland Campaign, which sheds light on the visceral experience of the battle and the emotional aftermath for those who survived. It was a great evening with fellow historians, members of the National Park Service (Hartwig is a thirty-four year veteran of the National Park Service and served as Gettysburg’s supervisory park historian for twenty years), researchers, and history lovers.
October
We announced our Best of Maryland awards, including Smart Growth Excellence Award: Kent Conservation and Preservation Alliance; Stewardship Award: Lewis Contractors; Preservation Champion: Brunswick Mayor Nathan Brown; The Phoenix Award: The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture; Artisan Award: The Preservation Tradespeople on the Restoration of the State House Dome (a project led by the Christman Company) and the Gearhart Professional Award: Lucille Walker.
State House with Scaffolding
November
At the start of the month we celebrated our annual Phoenix Rising event with partners, colleagues, and supporters. The historic Heron Room in Mill 1 was a beautiful backdrop for an evening that included our Best of Maryland awards, dinner at Cosima, the 12-piece swing band Hotel Paradise Orchestra, and recognition of all Preservation Maryland has accomplished in the past year.
We welcomed Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman, a partner that has always been a champion for the role historic preservation can play in helping Maryland grow smarter, up to help us present a lifetime achievement award, the President’s Award, to U.S. Senator Ben Cardin. Senator Cardin has worked tirelessly for the preservation community – to retain the federal historic tax credit during tax reform to pushing for funding to being a bulwark against threats to the regulatory framework of preservation. More on the evening, including a photo recap, here.
We also announced that the Maryland Department of Labor approved its first-of-its-kind group apprenticeship program for state registration. The program sets standards – including on-the-job learning, related instruction, and core competencies – that provide a clear process for entering the workforce in roles like deconstruction technician, historic window technician, and preservation carpenter.
“We are thrilled to announce this major step forward in organizing and legitimizing career pathways into historic trades careers,” said Natalie Henshaw, Director of The Campaign for Historic Trades. “Registered Apprenticeship Programs are industry-vetted, approved, and validated by the Department of Labor, akin to how the Department of Education accredits degree plans. For decades, our industry has been working towards this moment. I’m thankful for all the people that have built preservation training and education programs that we were able to coalesce into an official process. The goal of this program is to ensure historic structures are restored respectfully by trained hands and to create a direct plan for those entering the historic trades workforce. Simply put, without trained hands, preservation is just good intentions.”
Natalie Henshaw, Director of The Campaign for Historic Trades
December
The Maryland Department of Planning announced more than $20 Million in tax credits to revitalize historic buildings. Learn more about each of the projects across the state and plans for their future use. Additionally Governor Wes Moore announced the appointment of the Maryland 250 Commission, including Preservation Maryland’s President & CEO Nicholas Redding. The Maryland 250 Commission will develop, encourage, and execute an inclusive, statewide, yearlong observance of the 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation focused on three themes – history, civics, and service. Nearly 40 states are now planning similar observances.
Next up: we sincerely need your help to tackle even more ambitious projects in the year ahead. Our entire team is laser-focused on using our capacity and skills to save more critically threatened historic places.