Heritage Fund Grants Support Hard-Hit Museums and Sites in Maryland

Baltimore, MD, June 04, 2020 --(PR.com)-- Preservation Maryland and the Maryland Historical Trust’s joint Heritage Fund grant program will provide nearly $50,000 in essential funding across nine cultural groups in Maryland during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The selected projects were determined by committee to be in step with current state safety measures and will directly help museums stay connected with visitors digitally during stay-at-home mandates and will also assist museums as they reopen – likely as part of the next phase of Gov. Hogan’s plan for Maryland.

Forty-two grant proposals were reviewed totaling a request of nearly a half-a-million dollars demonstrating the need of additional state funding sources to support Maryland’s historic and cultural organizations and sites – especially at a time of increased need for safe recreational options.

The Heritage Fund is a joint program of Preservation Maryland, a private non-profit, and the Maryland Historical Trust, the State Historic Preservation Office. Since 1997, the Heritage Fund has directly granted out $1.4 million and has helped leverage over $20 million in investment in Maryland heritage.

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Archaeological Foundation was awarded $3,000 from the Heritage Fund for a survey and evaluation of historic resources on Parson’s Island in Queen Anne’s County.

City of Brunswick was awarded $8,000 from the Heritage Fund to help fund the relocation of the historic WB Tower along the railroad tracks in the Frederick County town for its railroad history.

Federated Charities Corporation of Frederick was granted $3,000 from the Heritage Fund to assist in the appropriate repairs to a well-known metal statue of Charity, the dog, that dates back to 1858.

Historic Sotterley was awarded $8,200 from the Heritage Fund towards a historically appropriate roof replacement at their Spinning Cottage that was previously experiencing structural issues.

Maryland Women’s Heritage Center was granted $3,000 from the Heritage Fund to assist in the research and recording of audio biographies of many of Maryland’s suffragists.

Old Shrewsbury Parish was awarded $5,000 from the Heritage Fund in support of continued research and conservation efforts at the historic Shrewsbury Cemetery in Kent County.

St. Luke’s Youth Center received $5,000 from the Heritage Fund to strategically consider adaptive reuse options for the historic Clergy House to provide new use in service of their mission.

Town of Vienna was granted $5,400 from the Heritage Fund to perform a series of necessary repairs at the ca. 1768 Customs House along the Nanticoke River in Dorchester County.

Washington County Historical Trust was awarded $7,500 from the Heritage Fund in support of their continued work to restore and adaptively reuse the stone Saylor House in Kiwanis Park.

Since 1931, Preservation Maryland has worked to protect the places, stories, and communities in Maryland that matter. As Maryland’s first and foremost non-profit organization dedicated to Maryland’s history and heritage, it works with partners across the state and country to accomplish this important mission and protect the best of Maryland.