Maryland Preservation Awards

Heritage Book

Heritage Book Awards are presented to the author and primary supporting or sponsoring entity for heritage books of scholarly or general interest, the focus of which is Maryland architecture, archeology or cultural heritage.  Heritage books may document the history of a region, subject or culture; serve as instructional manuals in fields related to preservation; or contribute to the general understanding of Maryland's heritage.

Nominations are be evaluated on the basis of accuracy and clarity of information; print and design quality; and the degree to which the publication served its purpose and audience.  The publication must be available to the general public and must have been published within two years of being nominated.

2009

At the Crossroads: The Architectural History of Wicomico County

Paul Baker Touart and the Preservation Trust of Wicomico County

Designed and printed over a two-year period, At the Crossroads: The Architectural History of Wicomico County, Maryland is the culmination of fourteen years of architectural fieldwork and documentary research by architectural historian Paul Baker Touart. The volume brings to print a voluminous amount of primary record research, contemporary and historic photographs, maps, and drawings in a format that explains the architectural and historical development of Wicomico County, which started in prehistoric times and continued during colonial exploration and settlement of Somerset County. 

The Maryland Historical Trust and Wicomico County Council funded the years of architectural fieldwork and research that stretched from 1994 through 2001-02. The research and publication was made possible through the generous financial support of the Wicomico County Council, the City of Salisbury, and the Maryland Historical Trust Non-Capital Grant program.

 

 

 

Baltimore's Alley Houses: Homes for Working People Since the 1780s

Mary Ellen Hayward

Mary Ellen Hayward’s recent book, Baltimore’s Alley Houses, Homes for Working People Since the 1780s, (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008) is one of only a handful of books nationwide to look at the subject of the smallest houses built on cities’ narrow alley streets.  Her research is based on a comprehensive three-year study of Baltimore’s surviving alley houses, funded by the Maryland Historical Trust in response to an announcement in 1996 by the city’s then Housing Commissioner that he hoped to be able to demolish most of the alley houses left in the city.  Baltimore Heritage, Inc. sponsored the survey project, which was carried out with the help of members of the CHAP staff, as well as fellow board members of Baltimore Heritage. By telling the story of Baltimore’s alley houses, Hayward attempted to increase interest in this threatened resource and aid in its preservation. In 1996 and 1997, at the height of the “vacant housing crisis,” many of the city’s alley houses stood boarded and vacant.  Today, those within sight, or a long walk, of the reinvigorated harbor business areas in Canton, Locust Point, South Baltimore, Riverside, and even Pigtown have been reclaimed.

This pioneering study explains how one of America’s important early cities responded to the challenge of housing its poorer citizens. Where and how did the working poor live? How did builders and developers provide reasonably priced housing for lower-income groups during the city's growth? Having studied over 3,000 surviving alley houses in Baltimore through extensive land records and census research, Mary Ellen Hayward systematically reconstructs the lives, households, and neighborhoods that once thrived on the city's narrowest streets.  In the past, these neighborhoods were sometimes referred to as "dilapidated," "blighted," or "poverty stricken." In Baltimore's Alley Houses, Hayward reveals the rich cultural and ethnic traditions that formed the African-American and immigrant Irish, German, Bohemian, and Polish communities that made their homes on the city's alley streets.

 

Pathways to History: Charles County, Maryland 1658-2008

The Smallwood Foundation

Published to commemorate the 350th anniversary of Charles County, Pathways to History offers fresh perspectives on the history of the county. The book is ambitious in scope, beginning its story in the 12,000 year old Paleo-Indian period and ending with the 20th century.   More than 370 illustrations accompany the text written by three historians and five additional contributors. Meticulously indexed, the book is a valuable reference work for students not just of Charles County, but of rural American history on the eve of the 21st century. Pathways to History offers a stimulating journey for all readers, whether they are well versed in local history or new to southern Maryland. The book owes much to the citizens of Charles County who shared their stories and artifacts.  Three scholars describe life in Charles County in the centuries before and after the arrival of English settlers and, not long thereafter, forced African immigrants. Their chapters address the pre-colonial, colonial and revolutionary war period; the antebellum and post bellum eras of the 19th century, and the county’s 20th-century modernization. 

Pathways to History is published under the auspices of the Smallwood Foundation, Inc.. This non-profit organization was formed in 1938 to restore the Charles County home of William Smallwood, Maryland’s highest-ranking Revolutionary War officer. All proceeds from the sale of this book are pledged to fund research, restoration, preservation, and appreciation of Charles County’s history.

Click here to learn more about the Pathways to History project and the Smallwood Foundation

 

Previous Winners

2007	It Ain't Like It Was Then - The Seafood Packing Industry of Southern Maryland Richard J. Dodds and Robert J. Hurry
2006	The Money Crop:  Calvert County After the Tobacco Buyout Calvert County Historic District Commission
2005	Homewood House Catherine Rogers Arthur and Cindy Kelly
2005	The Diary of William Faris Mark B. Letzer and Jean B. Russo
2005	The Architecture of Baltimore Mary Ellen Hayward and Frank R. Shivers, Jr.
2003	Rockville, Portrait of a City
2003	Historic Bridges of Maryland Maryland State Highway Administration
2003	Architectural & Historic Treasures of Washington County, Maryland Patricia Schooley
2002	Places from the Past: The Tradition of Gardez Bien in Montgomery County, Maryland Clare Lise Cavicchi and Maryland-National Capital Park and Planninc Commission
2002	Book, One Vast Hospital Terry Reimer
2002	Once the Metropolis of Maryland
2002	The Pasadena Peninsula: A Closer Look at the Land Between Two Rivers Pasadena Business Association
2000	Sandy Spring Legacy Thomas Y. Canby and Elie S. Rogers
2000	The Baltimore Rowhouse Mary Ellen Hayward and Charles Belfoure
1997	Mechanicsville: The Story of our Village
1996	Alexander Smith Cochran: Modernist Architect in Traditional Baltimore Christopher Weeks
1996	The Riverdale Story: Mansion to Municipality Christina A. Davis, editor,
1996	Railroad Ties: Industry and Culture in Hagerstown, Maryland Susan Levitas, editor,