“Interpretation is an art,” said Freeman Tilden, author of Interpreting Our Heritage. “The chief aim of interpretation is not instruction, but rather provocation.” As we work to preserve, rehabilitate, and interpret some of the state’s most iconic places and their stories, the Preservation Maryland team visited Gettysburg National Military Park to see how our partners at the National Park Service are doing the same.
We worked alongside Gettysburg National Military Park’s Education Specialist Barbara Sanders, sharing the power of storytelling, connecting with your audience, and how to personalize their “experience.” At Gettysburg, that’s visitors to the Park; here at Preservation Maryland that’s our partners, the communities in which we work – largely via our Historic Property Redevelopment Program – and our donors, who make this work possible.
We were able to visit the Park’s research library and create heritage interpretation for sites on the battlefield like the State of Maryland monument, the Brian House, and the National Cemetery.
PRESERVATION MARYLAND HAS WORKED TO INTERPRET MANY SITES ACROSS THE STATE, INCLUDING OUR OWN HISTORIC PROPERTY REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, WHICH HOLD RICH HISTORIES AND STORIES OF PAST OWNERS, PURPOSE, AND SIGNIFICANCE. WE WILL CONTINUE THIS PRACTICE AS PROJECTS LIKE THE BURTIS HOUSE, BERLIN HOUSE, AND THE HISTORIC ELLICOTT CITY JAIL EVOLVE.
Thank you to our partners at NPS (Preservation Maryland is the charitable partner of the National Park Service through our work with the Historic Preservation Training Center) for having us and sharing the art of what you do with our team.