National Park Service Awards Preservation Maryland Two Grants to Study and Protect Historic Battlefields

Baltimore, MD, May 22, 2020 --(PR.com)-- On May 18, 2020, the American Battlefield Protection Program, a unit of the National Park Service, announced Preservation Maryland was the recipient of two competitive battlefield protection planning grants.

On the heels of successful projects at South Mountain Battlefield, Fort Tonoloway, and Falling Waters Battlefield, Preservation Maryland will move forward with two more mission-critical projects – including a first of its kind study in Southern Maryland.

The grant awarded for work at South Mountain Battlefield will support one of the primary recommendations of the previously published Public Consensus Building Plan for the South Mountain Battlefield (2019) to “communicate clearly and reinforce the understanding of the battlefield through a consistent brand.”

Specifically, it will support the design and implementation of a new and compelling brand for South Mountain Battlefield – a sorely missing aspect that will help increase visitation.

One of the joint goals of the American Battlefield Protection Program and Preservation Maryland is to document lesser-known fields of conflict – and identify opportunities for interpretation that are supported by local landowners and residents. In St. Mary’s County, Maryland, St. George’s Island is the site of a long-overlooked Revolutionary War battlefield. Today, the island is a residential community and this study will develop a detailed context of the battle and scope the potential for limited interpretation as well as engage and understand what local residents would like for their community moving forward. Preservation Maryland will partner with the Southern Maryland Heritage Area on the project and retain a consultant to conduct an in-depth and authentic public engagement process and historic research.

From the hills and valleys of the blue ridge mountains to the brackish waters of the Chesapeake, Preservation Maryland is dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and interpretation of Maryland’s historic battlefields. Since 2016, the organization has invested thousands of dollars and hundreds of work hours to research and preserve dozens of acres of Maryland’s sacred landscapes.