The Maryland Historical Trust is pleased to announce the eleven Historic Preservation Capital Grant Program grant awards totaling $1 million to Maryland organizations for FY26! 

The Historic Preservation Capital Grant Program provides support to organizations and private citizens for preservation-related acquisition and construction projects as well as for architectural, engineering, archaeology, and consulting services needed in the development of construction projects. For FY26, the Historic Preservation Capital Grant program received 58 applications requesting over $4.9 million in funding. This year’s grant awards range from $62,000 to $100,000. The awardees are listed below, in alphabetical order by county. 

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The Michael Cresap Museum – Oldtown, Allegany County ($100,000) | Sponsor: Michael Cresap Museum, Inc.

The Michael Cresap House is a ca. 1765, two-story, field stone structure that was the home of Michael Cresap, a Revolutionary War captain and co-founder of Oldtown.  The original three-bay building is side-gabled, with a smaller, side-gabled, brick-clad early 19th-century wing attached to the east elevation.  The building is currently home to the Michael Cresap Museum.  Funding will support interior and exterior rehabilitation.

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Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse – Anne Arundel County ($62,000) | Sponsor: United States Lighthouse Society Incorporated A/K/A United States Lighthouse Society

Thomas Point Shoal Light Station, constructed in 1875 in the Chesapeake Bay, is a hexagonal frame lighthouse, 1.5 stories high, supported by 9 steel frame screw piles. Several partially submerged steel icebreakers that date to the first construction of the lighthouse are located within 30 yards of the lighthouse.  It is the only intact cottage-style lighthouse in its original location still used as an aid to navigation today. Funding will support the repair of the historic icebreakers. 

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First and Franklin Presbyterian Church – Baltimore City ($100,000) | Sponsor: Committee of the Presbyterian Church in the City of Baltimore

First and Franklin Presbyterian Church was jointly designed by notable English-born architect Nathan Starkweather and his protégé, E.G. Lind, and was constructed between 1854 and 1859. The highly ornate church is the home of the original congregation of the Presbyterians in Baltimore and is one of the finest and most recognizable examples of Gothic Revival architecture in Baltimore.  The church and congregation have also played a significant role in LGBTQ+ history. The first AIDS Support Group outside of a clinical environment was held at the church on April 27, 1983, and on June 8, 1983, the church hosted the first public forum on the burgeoning AIDS crisis, which drew more than 300 people.  The requested funds will support repairs to the brownstone on the spires.

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The Old Otterbein United Methodist Church – Baltimore City, ($100,000) | Sponsor: Old Otterbein United Methodist Church, Inc.

Designed and constructed by local builder Jacob Small, Sr, the Old Otterbein Church was constructed in 1785.  The two-story brick Georgian structure was significantly remodeled in 1839; however, much of the original glass still remains, as well as the bells, cast in Germany and installed in 1789. It is the only continuously used 18th-century church building in the City of Baltimore and held the first Conference of United Brethren preachers, resulting in the official organization of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Funding will support restoration of the church’s distinctive cupola.

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Patterson Park Observatory – Baltimore City, ($100,000) | Sponsor: Friends of Patterson Park, Inc.

Constructed in 1891, the Patterson Park Observatory was designed by Charles Latrobe at the northwestern edge of Patterson Park in East Baltimore, which was established as a “Public Walk” and donated to the City by William Patterson in 1827. The octagonal structure was designed to mimic a pagoda with four stories, each with a different window design and decorative balcony. The exotic style of the observatory drew from the Picturesque movement, which remained popular in park architecture into the end of the nineteenth century. The observatory remains a distinctive fixture within the park and is the backdrop to a host of events held throughout the year. Funding will support the rehabilitation of the roof.

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Cowdensville A.M.E. Church – Arbutus, Baltimore County, ($80,000) | Sponsor: Friends of Cowednsville A.M.E. Church, Inc.

Cowdensville A.M.E. Church is a frame and shingled church with a gabled roof, in vernacular style, and was constructed between 1904 and 1907. However, its roots go back to 1857 within the free Black community once known as Crowden Town and it is the last known building associated with that significant community.  A complete rehabilitation was undertaken in the late 1990s to save the church from condemnation and demolition.  Funding will support exterior rehabilitation, including framing, siding, and masonry repairs, and protective measures from potential automobile damage.

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Elk Landing – Stone House – Elkton, Cecil County, ($95,000) | Sponsor: The Historic Elk Landing Foundation, Inc.

Built in 1782-83, the Stone House at Elk Landing is a 2-story stone building with several features characteristic of 18th-century vernacular dwellings in northeastern Maryland. It is significant for its association with early Scandinavian settlement in Maryland and as the mid-Atlantic’s northernmost navigable inland waterway. The house is currently used for historical interpretation and fundraising activities, although access is currently limited due to its condition. Funding will support an engineering study to stabilize the northern and western walls.

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Custom House – Chestertown, Kent County, ($100,000) | Sponsor: Washington College

The Customs House, located in the Chestertown Historic District, is more than 275 years old and contains what is believed to be an underground holding cell for enslaved people, which is an incredibly rare example of an architectural feature associated with the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Now a part of the Washington College campus, the Customs House hosts a number of public events and is expanding its community outreach to educate the public on local African American history. Funding will support interior and exterior rehabilitation, including the stabilization of an exterior wall.

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Kent News Building – Chestertown, Kent County, ($66,000) | Sponsor: Sultana Education Foundation

Originally constructed in 1859 for the Methodist Protestant Church, the Kent News Building is a simple structure that displays elements of the early Classical Revival style. The building was used as a church until 1888, when the congregation relocated, and the County School system moved in.  By 1904, the County had sold the building and the first floor was home to a newspaper, while the second floor was a very early film theater.  The Kent County Newspaper was housed at the building until the Sultana Education Foundation purchased it in 2013 and began rehabilitating the old church.  A previous repointing of the exterior used Portland cement, which is wholly incompatible with the softer historic brick and the brick has begun to spall and fail. Grant funding would be used to repair and replace the historic brick and mortar with appropriate materials.

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Tudor Hall – Leonardtown, St. Mary’s County, ($100,000) | Sponsor: St. Mary’s Historical Society, Inc.

Tudor Hall is a ca. 1795, two-story, brick-clad, five-bay residence that is the earliest existing private structure in Leonardtown.  The original gabled building was flanked by one-story wings that were later raised to the height of the central block, and the roof was replaced with a hipped roof in the early 19th century.  Four interior chimneys represent the envelope of the original main block.  Stucco parging that was applied during the 19th century has since been removed.  The building is currently home to the St. Mary’s Historical Society. Funding will support interior and exterior rehabilitation. 

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Girdletree Church Museum – Girdletree, Worcester County, ($97,000) | Sponsor: Girdletree Historical Foundation, Inc.

The ca. 1875 Girdletree Methodist Church, constructed in the vernacular Gothic Revival style, displays wood siding, dentiled cornice, quatrefoil and trifoil detailing at front gable end, and a unique cross-braced bell tower and spire. Originally a Methodist Episcopal Church, the building is now home to the Girdletree Church Museum and hosts tours, weddings, and other events throughout the year.  Funding will support interior and exterior rehabilitation.

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For more information about the Historic Preservation Capital Grant Program, please contact Bill Hersch, Capital Grants and Loans Administrator, at Bill.Hersch@maryland.gov.

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