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Charles County Historic Preservation Award Winners Announced


Charles County Historic Preservation Award Winners Announced

LA PLATA, Md. – The Charles County Historic Preservation Commission hosted its Historic Preservation Awards at the Pleasant Hill House in Pomfret, Maryland, on June 23rd, 2024.  During the event, the 2024 Charles County Preservation Award winners were announced.

The Historic Preservation Awards are presented to an eligible individual, business, organization, or project that deserves recognition for outstanding achievements in historic preservation.  Awards are presented in two categories: Preservation Service and Preservation Projects.  The Preservation Service Award recognizes outstanding achievement in and support for furthering the aims of historic preservation in Charles County, including education, research, development, planning, advocacy, and community leadership.  The Preservation Project award recognizes excellence in the preservation and restoration of historic buildings, interpretation of architectural features in new construction, and adaptive reuse of historic structures. 

The first Preservation Service Award was presented to the Charles County Archaeological Society of Maryland, Inc. in recognition of 15 years of contributions to archaeological project work and education in Charles County.  A second award was presented to Lucille Ward Walker for her work in spearheading the creation of the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, one of two National Heritage Areas in the state of Maryland. Charles County is part of this new National Heritage Area.

The Preservation Project award was given to a team of individuals and organizations who preserved and restored a mid-19th-century corn house that was originally located on the Dyson Farm in White Plains. The corn house, which was slated for demolition, was instead preserved when it was moved to Rich Hill in Bel Alton and restored as part of the grounds of that historic house. Those involved in the project were Rachel Cohen and Ram Adar, the original owners of the corn house; Tim Lessner of Lorenzi, Dodds, and Gunnill, Expert House Movers of Sharpstown, Maryland, S.D. Lohr, Inc., who did the restoration work; students from the Ancient Studies Department of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, who provided help with the archaeological study performed at Rich Hill before the corn house was moved there; and the Friends of Rich Hill, who will interpret the corn house in its new location.

In addition to the Preservation Service and Project Awards, plaques were presented to three properties that were recently granted County Landmark status by the Charles County Commissioners. These were the St. Nicholas Creek Burial Ground in Benedict, the site of interment for 23 enslaved individuals during the late 18th and early 19th centuries; the Twiford Store in Marbury, which was the center of the community during the early 20th century; and the Joseph C. Parks house in Bryans Road, which was the home of J.C. Parks, the superintendent of the Charles County Colored Schools between 1919 and 1961.

The Charles County Commissioners established the Historic Preservation Commission in 2009. The Commission recommends properties for local historic landmark designation, reviews exterior changes to locally designated landmarks, and supports documentation of historic resources throughout the County. 

For more information, please contact Esther Doyle Read at ReadE@Charlescountymd.gov or Cal Carpenter at CarpentC@Charlescountymd.gov.



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