Posts Tagged Eastern Shore
Eastern Shore Historic Mill Tour Recap
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Eastern Shore Report, Preservation and Your Community, Preservation Maryland Events, Preservation Stories, Stories from the Field, Travel on April 17, 2013
Last Saturday, April 13, we hosted our first field trip of the year and it was a great success. Participants came to Chesapeake College in Wye Mills from as far away as St. Mary’s City and Frederick County to learn about the history of milling in the area and visit houses that are not generally open to the public. The weather on Saturday was absolutely perfect – sunny and in the upper 60’s with just a slight breeze.
The builder put the construction date right on the house using bricks.
Providence Farm, Centreville, MD.
After enjoying coffee and donuts, the whole group piled into two large vans and we were off. Robert Wilson, the owner of Providence Farm, along with Rebecca Marquardt, president of the Queen Anne’s County Historical Society, gave the group an overview of the history of this 1746 house built by a local miller. I was particularly wowed by the detailed woodwork in the house and the amount of restoration work Mr. Wilson has completed.
Our busy schedule did not allow for time to stop and walk around in Centreville, but we did detour up and down through town. Elizabeth Beckley and Michael Bourne, our tour guides for the day, pointed out some of the oldest buildings in town including Wright’s Chance and Tucker House.
Next we headed back to Wye Mills to visit Cloverfields, an early 18th century house and the home of the Great Tobacco Merchant, William Hemsley. While some members of the group chatted with Mrs. Pippin, the current owner of the house, others admired the detailed exterior brick work and visited the Hemsley cemetery.
By noon everyone was getting ready for lunch, so we headed off to the Old Wye Church and enjoyed our lunch in the parish house. The Reverend Charlie Osberger joined us for lunch and gave the group an informative and funny introduction the history of the church and the congregation.
Miller’s House, Wye Mills, MD.
Our next stop was just up the road at the Old Wye Mill, where the Friends of Old Wye Mill, were kind enough to open the mill up before their regular summer hours started. Jim Casey, George Hoffman and John Nizer showed us around this colonial era grist mill which is the oldest in continuous operation in the state. If you are ever looking for a rhythmic noise that will lull you right to sleep, the beat of the water going into the steal wheel is exactly what you want to hear.
Just a few hundred yards south of the mill sits the Miller’s House which was built around 1750. Many of the participants on the trip were excited to see inside the house because it is one of the least altered early structures on the Eastern Shore. Those who did not want to get dirty in the house visited the cemetery on the grounds and I got a kick out of watching a bald eagle soar high above us.
I think our first field trip was a glowing success and a lot of fun. If you could not join us this time, I hope you will come along on a future trip. Keep your eyes peeled next month for information on our next field trip which will be Saturday, June 1 at the National Park Seminary in Silver Spring.
Margaret De Arcangelis
Harriet Tubman Centennial Commemoration
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Preservation Stories, Stories from the Field on March 20, 2013
It was a day that spoke to the hearts of many and began in the heart of one. On March 9, 2013 people around the world marked the 100th anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s death and a very special celebration was held here on the Eastern Shore in Church Creek, the place where Tubman’s legacy began. As the result of many years of research, planning and advocating ground was broken at the Harriet Tubman State Park for a 15,000 square-foot visitors center slated to be completed in 2015. A 10 million dollar project, many are hopeful and optimistic that this center will one day help to guide visitors to local sites found within the proposed Harriet Tubman National Historical Park Woven throughout the day’s events, highlighted by dignitaries and elected officials, were reminders of the reasons why were all gathered under the tent that special day. The New Revelations Baptist Choir sang and a presentation of colors was made by U.S. Army B Company, 54th Massachusetts Regiment who paid tribute to Harriet Tubman, who served as a nurse and cook for the regiment, spying on nearby Confederate forces during her spare time, before they joined other forces to attack Fort Wagner in South Carolina. Reverend Keith Cornish provided a moving Invocation for the ceremony and Harriet Tubman re-enactor Millicent Sparks captured everyone’s heart with her moving portrayal of Tubman herself.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis spoke at the event in support for the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park Act, which has been cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski and their counterparts from New York State, where Harriet Tubman resided in Auburn for the balance of her life following the Civil War and died on March 10, 1913. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Cambridge Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley spoke in support of Tubman’s heroic contributions to our Nation’s history and her courage and selfless dedication to helping those who remained in bondage realize their freedom. In addition, they spoke to the advantages that the visitors center and related activities surrounding Harriet Tubman would bring to many on the Eastern Shore. “It will bring the attention of the entire world to this place,” Salazar said of the proposed national park. “So Marylanders stay tuned. There’s more to come.” Very exciting indeed!
In addition to the ground breaking there was the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. Designated as one of the nation’s best driving tours, this 125-mile route takes visitors through Dorchester and Caroline counties and brings to life the stories and sites of Tubman and the extensive Underground Railroad operation that existed here. As a part of the Centennial Celebration organizers planned a tour of one section of the Byway with a stop at the Lincester Mill near Preston in Caroline County, where a very special dedication ceremony was held for the Byway. We should all thank the many individuals and organizations who have dedicated their efforts to bring lasting honor to Harriet Tubman’s legacy. She was one of the most important figures in American history and to be able to walk in her footsteps is a privilege everyone should experience.
Elizabeth Beckley
Under Construction – Rosenwald Schools Initiative
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Endangered Maryland, Funding Programs, Preservation Stories on February 21, 2013
I am excited to announce that Preservation Maryland will soon kick of the Rosenwald Schools of Maryland Initiative. The Rosenwald School building program played a prominent and pivotal role in the education of African Americans in the early 20th century. A result of a partnership between Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee Institute and Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears, Roebuck and Company, the Rosenwald Fund provided matching grants for more than 5,000 schools, shops, and teacher’s residences built in 15 southern states, between 1917 and 1932. The schools became obsolete in 1954 with the Supreme Court ruling that outlawed segregation in education. Many of the schools were abandoned or demolished and their invaluable contributions forgotten. There are an estimated 800 schools still standing around the country.
Despite their critical role in the education of a large portion of the southern population, Rosenwald Schools are a largely unfamiliar component of the educational history of the United States. As a consequence, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) named Rosenwald Schools to its 2002 list of Most Endangered sites. More recently, Rosenwald Schools were designated as one of the first thirty-two of the National Trust’s “National Treasures.” A result of the restructuring of the National Trust, the campaign will eventually establish a portfolio of 100 National Treasures to preserve and protect, with the direct assistance of local preservation partners such as Preservation Maryland.
Restored Ridgeley Rosenwald School
Of the more than 5,000 Rosenwald program buildings constructed, only 156 of the schools and ancillary structures were built in Maryland. However our state boasts a higher percentage than average of extant schools, with 53 currently surviving. Additionally, Maryland is one of the few states where a survey of the schools has been completed. A Multiple Property Documentation Form has been submitted with the expectation that Maryland’s Ridgeley Rosenwald School will be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Preservation Maryland has previously supported projects at this site, as well as the Galesville Rosenwald School in Anne Arundel County and Wicomico County’s San Domingo Rosenwald School. All three sites have been successfully restored and are in active use by the communities in which they are located. The Rosenwald School Initiative seeks to increase the number of schools across the state that will fall into this category. The goal is to raise public awareness about the schools and put as many as possible back into everyday use. Preservation Maryland intends to serve as a statewide online clearinghouse for information regarding the schools. We expect to partner with local and national preservation organizations to provide general information and training opportunities on preservation practices, organizational development and financial assistance to restore and adaptively re-use those schools that are currently vacant. We’ll also share success stories of those who have labored to save a treasured school.
In the coming months our website will be updated with useful links to pertinent sites related to Rosenwald Schools around the country and in our state. There will also be opportunities for interested parties to share information about the schools. I’ll keep you updated.
Marilyn Benaderet/Preservation Services Director
Discover Historic African American Sites During Black History Month
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Colleagues Corner, Education Programs, Endangered Maryland, Funding Programs, Montgomery County, Preservation and Your Community, Preservation Stories on January 25, 2013
February is Black History Month. This annual commemoration of African American achievements was started in 1926 as “Negro History Week” by Dr. Carter Woodson. He chose February as the month of celebration as it was the birth month of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Since February has been set aside to honor the accomplishments of African Americans, I’d like to suggest a few related sites around Maryland you may consider visiting.
The Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park in downtown Baltimore is an educational and national heritage site that highlights African American maritime history and the establishment of the African American Community in Baltimore during the 1800’s. The museum chronicles the saga of Frederick Douglass’ life in Baltimore as an enslaved child and young man. You will also examine the life of Isaac Myers, a free born African American who became a national leader. The complex incorporates the oldest industrial warehouse on the waterfront.
The Charles H. Chipman Cultural Center is located in Salisbury Maryland. It is housed in the 1838, John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest standing African American church on the Delmarva. The building is now a cultural and special events center and small museum honoring the history of African Americans of the Eastern Shore region. Call to schedule an appointment.
Alex Haley monument in Annapolis
In Annapolis, there are two memorials commemorating African Americans. The Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial at the Annapolis City Dock features a life-size bronze statue of Alex Haley, author of Roots, located next to a plaque honoring his ancestor Kunta Kinte, an enslaved African brought to Annapolis in 1767. The statue was designed by nationally acclaimed African-American sculptor Ed Dwight. The Thurgood Marshall Memorial on Lawyer’s Mall at the Maryland State House honors Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. His most famous case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka 1954, ended racial segregation in American public schools.In Southern Maryland, the restored slave cabin at Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood is one of few extant dwellings of enslaved African Americans in the state. Built between 1830 and 1850 it is the only surviving slave cabin at Sotterley, the sole Tidewater Plantation in Maryland that is open to the public.
The Warren Historic Site in Poolesville interprets an African American community hub with all the essential structures traditional to such communities established around the United States at the end of the Civil War. The one room school (1886), the Warren UM Church (rebuilt 1903) and the Love and Charity Lodge Hall (1914) are located in Montgomery County.
Most Maryland counties have guidebooks of African American sites in their areas. Check the websites of Visitor Centers and historical societies also. Enjoy your journey into the rich history of African Americans in Maryland.
Marilyn Benaderet/Preservation Services Director
Advocacy Alert! General Assembly in Session
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Advocacy, Advocacy Alert, Funding Programs on January 22, 2013
On January 9, 2013, the 433rd session of the Maryland General Assembly convened. During this session the General Assembly will consider many issues including gun control, the death penalty, funding roads and mass transit, rebuilding Baltimore’s aging schools, and the construction of offshore wind turbines. The most immediate issue is passing a FY2014 budget which Governor O’Malley introduced on January 16. Included in the Department of Planning’s budget are three historic preservation programs which will need your action. Future Advocacy Alerts will provide dates and locations for hearings on these programs. Fact sheets which provide information on projects supported by each program and the amount we are asking to be appropriated are available on our advocacy resource page.
- Sustainable Communities Rehabilitation Tax Credit: $10 million (level funding from FY2013)
- Maryland Heritage Areas: $3 million (level funding from FY2013)
- African American Heritage Preservation Grant Program: $1 million (level funding from FY2012)
Take Action!
1) Identify your representatives in the Maryland General Assembly by clicking here.
2) Now that the Governor’s budget was released on January 16, please contact your state senator and delegates to encourage their support of the three programs above. Be sure to give them examples of museums, historic sites, and tax-credit projects in your district which have benefited or could benefit from these programs.
3) Use our fact sheets to familiarize yourself with the issues. Also, familiarize yourself with the legislative process and the way the General Assembly works. Our advocacy page has everything you need to begin supporting preservation legislation and budget issues in Maryland. Among the resources are a description of the legislative process, important dates to remember, and talking points on key preservation issues.
4) Join colleagues at the 38th Annual Maryland Preservation Awards hosted by the Maryland Historical Trust on January 31, 2013. The awards ceremony begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Governor Calvert Ballroom in the Governor Calvert House located at 58 State Circle, Annapolis. The event is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required.
Your voice is crucial to funding these important programs. Thanks for your support!
Tyler Gearhart
