Maryland Gov. Moore announces $5M award for 31 orgs to preserve state’s Black history

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced on Wednesday that the state has awarded $5 million to 31 organizations to preserve buildings, sites or communities that share the story of the state’s Black history.

It’s part of the state’s African American Heritage Preservation Program. The grant awards range from $10,000 to $250,000 for projects statewide.

“The African American Heritage Preservation Program identifies projects and organizations that work to preserve buildings, sites, or communities that share the story of Black history in Maryland,” Moore said in a news release. “I thank the Maryland Department of Planning and the Maryland Historic Trust for their partnership, for their thoughtful consideration of these recipients, and for their dedication to memorializing pieces of history that are too often forgotten.”

Maryland Historical Trust director Elizabeth Hughes said Black history is essential to Maryland’s history and that the funding ensures a future for important community anchors.

“The African American experience is essential to Maryland’s history. The Maryland Historical Trust is pleased to continue its collaboration with the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture to protect and enhance sites connected to Black heritage through the state,” Hughes said in a news release. “This funding ensures a future for important community anchors that have often been marginalized, helping us all understand the full story of our past.”

The full list of award recipients can be found below:

Asbury Methodist Church – Annapolis, Anne Arundel County

Charles “Hoppy” Adams Jr. House – Annapolis, Anne Arundel County

Frederick Douglass Summer House – Highland Beach, Anne Arundel County

Mt. Zion UMC Laurel – Laurel, Anne Arundel County

The Harlem Theater – Baltimore City

Cowdensville A.M.E. Church – Arbutus, Baltimore County

Asbury United Methodist Church – White Marsh, Baltimore County

Biscoe Gray Heritage Farm – George Rice House – Prince Frederick, Calvert County

Brooks Methodist Church – St. Leonard, Calvert County

St. Paul Church (Denton) – Denton, Caroline County

Fairview United Methodist Church – New Windsor, Carroll County

Elk Landing Hollingsworth House – Elkton, Cecil County

Malone Methodist Episcopal Church – Madison, Dorchester County

Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church – Brunswick, Frederick County

Asbury Methodist Church – City of Frederick, Frederick County

Quinn Chapel AME Church – City of Frederick, Frederick County

Catoctin Furnace African American Cemetery – Thurmont, Frederick County

Hosanna School Museum – Darlington, Harford County

Blandair, Enslaved Quarters – Columbia, Howard County

Mt. Gregory United Methodist Church – Cooksville, Howard County

Barksdale Grocery Store and Tavern – Jessup, Howard County

Customs House – Chestertown, Kent County

Mander House Museum – Worton, Kent County

The Montgomery Chapel Cemetery – Clarksburg, Montgomery County

Button Farm Living History Center – Germantown, Montgomery County

Mt. Nebo AME Church – Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s County

Galilee United Methodist Cemetery – Mechanicsville, St. Mary’s County

Coulbourne and Jewett House at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum – St. Michaels, Talbot County

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Lappans – Boonsboro, Washington County

Tyree African Methodist Episcopal Church – Berlin, Worcester County

Freetown, Education, Research, and Cultural Museum – Snow Hill, Worcester County