Preservation Maryland is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Heritage Fund grants, supporting projects that protect and celebrate the historic places, stories, and communities that define Maryland. From grassroots organizations to local stewards working to preserve cultural landmarks and community heritage, this year’s awardees reflect the creativity, dedication, and statewide impact of preservation in action. Through the Heritage Fund, Preservation Maryland continues to invest in projects that strengthen communities, expand access to history, and ensure Maryland’s diverse historic resources endure for future generations. A total of $153,000 was awarded to 18 projects across Maryland.
Accokeek Foundation, Inc.
Laurel Branch Farmhouse & Out Kitchen Restoration Project
$10,000
Prince George’s County
Accokeek Foundation, Inc. will rehabilitate the Laurel Branch farmhouse and replica Out-Kitchen, at the National Colonial Farm, a Living History farm. Laurel Branch, built c. 1770, is a timber framed farmhouse moved and reconstructed at the park in 1989. Once rehabilitated, the transformed buildings will be a new focal point for immersive, educational, and interactive experience at Piscataway Park.
C & O Canal Trust, Inc.
Lockhouse 8 Rehabilitation Project
$10,000
Montgomery County
C&O Canal Trust, Inc. will rehabilitate Lockhouse 8, one of the few remaining examples of early canal infrastructure. Built in 1829, it was used as a lockkeeper’s residence until the closer of the canal in 1924. The rehabilitated lockhouse will be integrated into the award-winning Canal Quarters Program, where it will be opened for overnight reservations, tours, and volunteer events.
Clara Barton Fund
Digital Access to the Clara Barton National Historic Site Project
$10,000
Montgomery County
Clara Barton Fund will develop a virtual tour and other engaging digital resources to ensure continued public and educational access to the Clara Barton National Historic Site during its multi-year rehabilitation. Located in Glen Echo, the 38-room historic house was Clara Barton’s final home and the early national headquarters for the American Red Cross.
Dowden’s Chapel
Preserving Dowden’s Chapel Project
$10,000
Baltimore County
Dowden’s Chapel will take immediate steps to protect and document the c.1849 chapel, a rare surviving example of a pre-Civil War African American religious space and cemetery. Preservation Maryland will serve as fiscal sponsor for the Harvey Family, descendants of early parishioners who have been stewarding the property for the last 100 years. This project will also support the initial steps toward transferring the legallyabandoned property to nonprofit ownership.
Foundation for the Kent County Public Library, Inc.
Interpreting Chestertown’s Historic Walley Funeral Home Project
$10,000
Kent County
The Kent County Public Library will develop and install interpretive exhibits and community garden to honor the legacy of the Walley Funeral Home and highlight African American entrepreneurship in Kent County. Built in 1906 as a “hearse house” for storing horse-drawn hearses. In 1951 it was purchased by Willis Wells to serve Chestertown’s African American community during an era of segregation and limited professional opportunity. The property was rehabilitated in 2026 and is used by the Kent County Public Library as a public community space.
Friends of Halfway African American Cemetery Inc.
Preservation and Site Plan Project
$10,000
Washington County
Friends of Halfway African American Cemetery Inc. will complete preservation and site plans for preserving the historic Halfway African American Cemetery in Hagerstown. Founded in 1897 by a Black fraternal organization, the cemetery has been abandoned for many years. Since 2020 the organization has worked to preserve the site and are currently exploring paths to acquiring the property.
Howard County Historical Society
Mapping the Histories of the Enslaved in Howard County Project
$10,000
Howard County
Howard County Historical Society will complete the second phase of a multi-year research initiative to identify, document, and interpret the lives of enslaved individuals within Howard County’s historical records. This project will produce free, place-based public resources, including a driving/walking tour and brochures, that connect Howard County’s archival record to its living landscape.
NCR/Hereford Volunteer Association
Monkton Station: Architectural and MIHP Preservation Initiative
$10,000
Baltimore County
The NCR/Herford Volunteer Association will update the Monkton Station MIHP form. This updated scholarship will then be used to develop new architectural focused interpretation of the site, and plan mobile community archive days to digitize more community history. Built in 1897, Monkton Station is a primary educational gateway for 400,000 annual visitors on the Torrey C. Brown NCR Trail. This project transitions the site from a passive stop, and into a center for inclusive Maryland history.
Todd’s Inheritance Historic Site, Inc.
Kitchen Wing Floor Stabilization Project
$10,000
Baltimore County
Todd’s Inheritance Historic Site, Inc. seeks funding to complete urgent stabilization work identified during a recent Fire Marshall inspection. The project will address the deflection in the kitchen floor of the Todd Farmhouse. Built c.1816, Todd’s Inheritance is part of the Todd Family farm properties that are now part of North Point State Park.
Towson University
Trowels to Teaching Program
$10,000
Baltimore County
Towson University will hold the Trowels to Teaching workshop for a second session at Sparrows Point VFW Park. The workshop provides an opportunity for Maryland K-12 teachers to become familiar with the process, importance, and goals of the field of archaeology in order to effectively infuse these topics into their classrooms and promote responsible archaeological stewardship in our communities. The program will also include a half-day workshop for Council for Maryland Archeology members to learn from educators how best to reach K-12 students.
Howard County Economic Development Authority
Interpreting the Caplan’s Building Project
$9,900
Howard County
Howard County Economic Development Authority will develop and install a public interpretive program for the Caplan’s Building. Built in 1926 as Caplan’s Department Store and is closely tied to the history of immigrant entrepreneurship and Jewish commercial life in Maryland. The Caplan’s Building also holds contemporary significance due to the sever flood damage in 2016 and 2018, and the subsequent stabilization efforts and acquisition by the County.
Maryland DNR – Sang Run State Park
Bringing Sang Run State Park’s History to Life Project
$8,869
Garrett County
San Run State Park will design and install interpretive signage, including panels with audio capabilities. The archeological sites to receive interpretive signage will include one site of pre-Contact artifacts from the Woodland period (1000-1500) and also a post-Contact site that showcases both Native and European-influenced Appalachian horticultural traditions.
Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation Foundation
Archives Together: The Past Builds the Future Project
$7,500
Prince George’s County
Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation Foundation will establish historic preservation research fellows to conduct in-depth archival research into the historical landscape and built environment of Surratt’s Tavern. Originally a 287-acre farm, today the historic structure resides on less than 2 acres of land with almost none of the original outbuildings surviving. This critical research endeavors will help establish a more complete history of this property’s history and use. Utilizing the fellows’ research and methodologies, the Surratt House Site and Museum will host a three-day workshop series that will broaden access to the built environment of the past.
Hosanna Community House, Inc.
Preserving the Upper Chesapeake’s Untold Stories: National Network Project
$6,000
Harford County
Hosannah Community House will develop and submit applications for up to six sites to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program and the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network. This project will help to preserve and share with all Americans the untold stories of significant sites of memory throughout Harford county. Established by acts of congress in 1998, these networks are catalysts for innovation, partnerships and continued scholarships connecting the institution of slavery to the built environment. For 75 years Hosanna Community House, Inc. has delivered on its mission to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Harford County.
Historic Sotterley, Inc.
Visitor Center Interpretive Signage Installation Project
$5,949
St. Mary’s County
Historic Sotterley, Inc. will design and install interpretive signage and educational displays in their new Visitor Experience Center. As a National Historic Landmark, a UNESCO Site of Memory for the Routes of Enslaved Peoples, and a Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project site, Historic Sotterley embodies a complex and multifaceted past. The new signage will provide an updated historic context for the site, detailing the experiences of the owners, indentured servants, free laborers, and enslaved African American’s who shaped the landscape.
Frederick County
Timber Timekeepers: Unlocking the Griffith-Burrall Farm’s Past Project
$5,079
Frederick County
Frederick County will conduct dendrochronology testing on the Griffith-Burrall House and its associated slave quarter to help establish a more accurate construction date. A recently completed Historic Structures Report (HSR) identified this analysis as critical to resolving questions about the property’s development. The Griffith-Burrall slave quarter is an exceptionally rare, largely unaltered 19th-century log example in Frederick County.
City of Frederick; Weinberg Center for the Arts
Marble and Plaster Repair Project
$5,788
Frederick County
The City of Frederick’s Weinberg Center for the Arts will complete necessary interior marble and plaster restoration work. Built in 1926 as the Tivoli Theater, the repair work will be completed by two specialized contractors including Hilgartner Natural Stone Company, Inc. Hilgartner is one of the oldest stone working companies in the country and the firm that originally sourced and installed the marble when the theater originally opened 100 years ago.
Sandy Spring Museum
Sandy Spring Bank Building Stabilization Project
$3,915
Montgomery County
Sandy Spring Museum will complete necessary drainage and mechanical upgrades to address critical drainage and water management concerns. Built c.1895, the Neoclassical style building was donated to the Museum, along with its files and archive. The Museum is completing this work as part of their planning efforts to determine a financially sustainable and mission-aligned future use for the building. These stabilization efforts are essential to protecting the building’s structural integrity and ensuring it remains a viable historic asset while long-term planning is completed.