Preservation Grant Program Invests in Heritage Tourism Anchors During Pandemic

BALTIMORE - Dec. 9, 2020 - PRLog -- Preservation Maryland and the Maryland Historical Trust are pleased to award over $50,000 in Heritage Fund grants to several significant heritage tourism destinations, including Main Streets, open spaces, historic sites, and cultural attractions.

Reuse Plan for Bostwick House: This $8,000 grant will fund a planning process for Bostwick, a ca. 1746 National Register-listed home in Bladensburg. The property has long been used by UMD for faculty housing and hands-on preservation education. This grant will support efforts to develop a long-term vision and plans for engagement and interpretation.

Cylburn Statue Restoration: The 19th Century Cylburn Mansion is situated in the 200-acre Cylburn Arboretum, a public park in Baltimore. The four marble lions that reside there require professional cleaning and restoration. This grant will contribute $5,000 to the cost of this much-needed maintenance and repair work.

Handsell Historic Doorway: Handsell is a National Register-listed historic site in Dorchester County that interprets all layers of its history - from the Chicone culture to those enslaved on the antebellum plantation. This $7,000 grant will fund the reproduction of a historically accurate front door for the main house.

National Park Seminary Landscape: The National Park Seminary in Montgomery County has a long history as a tobacco plantation, summer inn, a school for girls – and today a unique residential community. The Heritage Fund will provide $6,000 to support a feasibility study focused on the preservation of the cultural landscape of "The Glen."

Restoration of Retreat House: Among the many historic resources in Charles County's Smallwood State Park is the Retreat House. The original home was built ca. 1760 with an extensive restoration and partial reconstruction in the 1950s. The $8,000 grant will support the repair and restoration work of six roof dormers.

Malone's Church Stabilization: Malone's Chapel is a ca. 1890s church associated with an earlier free black community in Dorchester County dating back to the 1790s. Volunteer trustees maintain the church for tourism and interpretation along the Harriet Tubman Byway – members of Tubman's family are buried in the cemetery. This $8,000 grant will fund work on the chapel's steeple.

Signage at Historic London Town: The 23-acre living history museum in Anne Arundel County, Historic London Town and Gardens, has adapted to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to allow access to its waterfront property, trails, and gardens. This $5,000 grant will fund new cost-effective outdoor signage for a self-directed and safe visitor experience.

Preservation Plan for Hancock: Main Street Hancock in Washington County will undertake a Strategic Preservation Plan to guide their economic development, educational, and revitalization initiatives. This grant of $4,500 will support hiring a consultant to engage community stakeholders, identify and document historic assets.