The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), a unit of the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning), recently announced the seven preservation projects that will be awarded funding by the Historic Preservation Capital Grant Program this year.
The Historic Preservation Capital Grant Program provides support for preservation-related acquisition and construction projects as well as for architectural, engineering, archaeology, and consulting services needed in the development of construction projects. Nonprofit organizations, government entities, business organizations, and individuals are eligible to apply for funds to rehabilitate, restore, or acquire properties listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register. For FY 2024, the Historic Preservation Capital Grant Program received a $600,000 appropriation and re-awarded $4,000 in prior year funds. Of the 37 applications requesting approximately $3 million, MHT’s Board of Trustees and the Secretary of Planning approved the following seven projects for funding.
Cowdensville A.M.E. Church – Arbutus, Baltimore County ($100,000) | Sponsor: Friends of Cowdensville A.M.E Church
Cowdensville A.M.E. Church is a modest wood-frame church with a gabled roof, designed in a vernacular style, and constructed between 1904 and 1907. Cowdensville AME’s roots go back to 1857 within the free Black community of Cowdensville in southwestern Baltimore County. The church has served not only as a place of worship but as a meeting place for civil rights groups in the mid-20th century. For many years the church hosted grief support groups, food and school supply giveaways, and neighborhood organization meetings. A complete rehabilitation was undertaken in the late 1990s to save the church from condemnation and demolition. Funds will go toward exterior work like drainage improvements, roof repair or replacement, and foundation repair.
Allegany County Courthouse – Cumberland, Allegany County ($85,000) | Sponsor: The Board of County Commissioners of Allegany County
Still owned and operated by Allegany County, the Allegany County Courthouse located within the Washington Street Historic District was constructed in 1893 in the Richardson Romanesque-style. Built on the site of Fort Cumberland, an 18th-century outpost, the courthouse features highly contrasting red brick with white stone trim. Funding will aid in the restoration of the 190 historic wood double-hung sash windows on the building.
Brookeville Academy – Brookeville, Montgomery County ($100,000) | Sponsor: Town of Brookeville
Constructed in 1808, the Brookeville Academy was built of stone and primarily donated materials, with work to raise it to two stories completed in 1834. It was one of the first private academies in Montgomery County, and while it was originally a school for boys, it admitted female students as early as 1819. Today, the building is used as offices for the town of Brookeville. The grant project will address critical masonry and window repairs resulting from recent water damage.
Nathan House – Cambridge, Dorchester County ($86,000) | Sponsor: Dorchester Center for the Arts
Nathan House in the Cambridge Historic District Wards is a distinctive three-story brick commercial building. Originally constructed in the 1880s, the property was remodeled in the 1930s and retains its Art Deco storefront. The building was home to Nathan’s Furniture Store, a Delmarva chain founded by Milford Nathan. The building is now home to the Dorchester Center for the Arts. The project will address moisture issues in the building, including replacing the corroded window lintels and upgrading mechanical systems.
Ebenezer A.M.E. Church – Baltimore City ($100,000) | Sponsor: Ebenezer Kingdom Builders
Built in 1865 for a congregation organized in 1836, Ebenezer A.M.E. Church is thought to be the oldest standing church in Baltimore that was erected by African Americans and continuously occupied by the descendants of the same congregation. This brick Gothic Revival church has a prominent bell tower, with the parish house located in an adjoining rowhouse. The grant will aid in the rehabilitation of the historic bell tower, masonry repair, restoring broken louvers, and repairing a deteriorated roof that has led to leaking and interior damage.
Brodbeck Hall – Frederick, Frederick County ($99,000) | Sponsor: Hood College of Frederick, Maryland
Brodbeck Hall, located in the Hood College Historic District, is the last building on the campus that pre-dates the establishment of Hood College. Constructed in 1868 for a German social club, this handsome building retains its original Greek Revival and Italianate detailing with 20th-century updates. Since Hood College took ownership of the building in 1897, the building has been used for a variety of purposes, including living quarters, performance spaces, and a hall for ceremonies and lectures. The funding will support repairs necessary due to fire damage the building suffered in 2021.
Baldwin Hall – Millersville, Anne Arundel County, ($34,000) | Sponsor: Severn Cross Roads Foundation
The Historic Baldwin Hall is a one-story frame church built in 1861 for the Severn Crossroads Methodist Episcopal Church and is significant as a distinct example of Italianate architecture in a rural church. The building was moved twice: first in the 1930s and again in 1981. It now serves as a community center operated by the Severn Cross Roads Foundation. Grant funds will help address water damage to the historic building, including the repair of 21 historic wood windows and site work to bring water away from the building.
For more information about the Historic Preservation Capital Grant Program, please contact Stacy Montgomery, Capital Programs Administrator, at stacy.montgomery@maryland.gov.
Our History, Our Heritage 