The Heritage Fund, a cooperative effort of Preservation Maryland and the Maryland Historical Trust, provides direct assistance for the protection of historical and cultural resources and promotes innovative demonstration projects that can be successfully replicated to meet Maryland’s historic preservation needs. The Fund is intended to serve the needs of tangible cultural resources in Maryland. Historic sites, buildings, districts, objects, and archaeological resources are all eligible for funding. Preservation Maryland is pleased to announce the Fall 2021 Heritage Fund recipients.
Fixing the Roof at a Cumberland Landmark
Organization: Allegany County Chamber of Commerce
Type: Bricks and Mortar
Project Name: Bell Tower Building Restoration
Location: Allegany County
Description: The late 19th Century Bell Tower Building was Cumberland’s first jail and police headquarters. Its unique architecture, including a small bell tower, continues to make it a distinctive part of the city. Now the home of the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce, the site needs work to the roof to stop leaking that is causing issues in the building. This grant will help fund the required roof work.
Funding: $10,000
Saving the Barn at the Shafer Farm
Organization: Burkittsville Preservation Association, Inc.
Type: Bricks and Mortar
Project Name: Shafer Barn Renovation
Location: Frederick County
Description: The Hamilton Willard Shafer Farm served as the headquarters of Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin during the Battle of Crampton’s Gap. Thousands of soldiers of the Sixth Army Corps used the surrounding fields for camping and staging. The site includes a Pennsylvania-style bank barn which suffered a partial collapse during a recent storm. This grant will help fund the needed repairs to this key part of the Shafer Farm Complex.
Funding: $10,000
Engaging with Archeology and the Peale Museum
Organization: Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture
Type: Archeology
Project Name: Inclusive Archeology at the Peale
Location: Baltimore City
Description: The Peale Museum was the first purpose-built museum in the United States then was the served several other purposes including the first Baltimore City Hall and one of the first public schools for black students. The long vacant building has undertaken a restoration process over the past decade. This grant will help fund an inclusive archaeology training project giving Baltimore students a hands-on introduction to the field of archaeology along with direct experience of best practices in accessibility as they conduct excavations in the garden of the historic Peale Museum building.
Funding: $6,810
Helping Secure the Future of a Historic Schoolhouse
Organization: Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation, Ltd.
Type: Bricks and Mortar
Project Name: Acquisition of Land around Montrose Schoolhouse
Location: Montgomery County
Description: In the late 1970s, Peerless Rockville was awarded ownership of the 1908 Montrose Schoolhouse. The site had been discontinued as a school earlier in the decade and was used by the State Highway Administration as storage. The SHA retained the land the site sat on however. Peerless Rockville is now looking to purchase the land to provide greater long-term protection for the site and to help attract tenants to ensure the continued use of the building. This grant will be applied toward the purchase price of the land.
Funding: $10,000
Retaining the Key Feature of a Historic Church
Organization: Poolesville Presbyterian Church
Type: Bricks and Mortar
Project Name: Poolesville Presbyterian Church Brick Parapet Repair
Location: Montgomery County
Description: The distinctive brick parapet of the 19th century Poolesville Presbyterian Church has begun to experience structural issues. The church served as a key meeting place in Poolesville at the time of its construction and it still sits in the main part of town. The grant will support the repair and replacement where needed of the bricks of the parapet. This work is important to not only for safety but to retain the key characteristic of this historic church.
Funding: $10,000
Helping Preserve a Former School Site to Educate Future Generations
Organization: Somerset County Historical Trust
Type: Bricks and Mortar
Project Name: Fairmount Academy Roof Replacement
Location: Somerset County
Description: After over 100 years in serve as a school, the buildings known now as the Fairmount Academy was closed in the late 1960s and now work is underway to turn the site into a heritage tourism site as a museum of the school and the region’s history. One of the two buildings on the site, the Knights of Pythias building, has a roof that is experiencing leaks, causing a threat to the structure and the exhibits inside. The grant will help pay for this much needed work.
Funding: $10,000