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Maryland Historical Trust

Preserving & interpreting the legacy of Maryland's past

The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) supports historic preservation and revitalization by providing funding and resources to care for historic sites. MHT serves as the State Historic Preservation Office and operates Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum.

Vintage street scene of Annapolis with State House.
Mural of people walking, silhouetted against an orange backdrop.

Explore History Where It Happened

This International Underground Railroad Month, trace the stories of self-emancipation woven into Maryland’s landscape from the iron furnaces of Catoctin to the secret maritime routes of the Chesapeake Bay. In this blog article, learn more about the local museums across the state that are telling the powerful stories of enslavement, resilience, and liberation.

Image: “After Harriett,” Color in Freedom, Joseph Holston: Journey Along the Underground Railroad exhibit (2022-2023) at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts.

Read the article now
A square metal skull-and-crossbones stamp next to a newspaper graphic titled 'The fatal STAMP!' made from the same stamp. Woman in blue gloves examines a small artifact under a lighted magnifying glass in a lab. A charred, dark fragment of paper displaying legible printed text about tobacco and wolves. A researcher wearing blue gloves sorts and catalogs bagged archaeological artifacts at a table. Poster for Revolutionary Maryland: Freedom of the Press Then and Now, a traveling exhibit opening July 1, 2026.

America 250: Freedom of the Press Then & Now

See history conserved by the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory. Their traveling exhibit — created in collaboration with Maryland Humanities, MD Two Fifty, and more — features Revolutionary War-era artifacts from the Green Family Printshop, including original printers’ type and burned newspapers. Visit it today at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum's visitor center.

Learn more about the exhibit
Painting of American soldiers in formation with bayonets advancing toward British lines in a field.

America 250: A Revolutionary Journey Through Maryland

Discover Maryland’s Revolutionary War history through an interactive StoryMap by the MD Two Fifty Commission highlighting historic buildings, landscapes, cemeteries, and public spaces connected to the Revolution across the state.

Explore the StoryMap

Learn more about MHT

MHT is the state agency dedicated to preserving and interpreting the legacy of Maryland's past. Through research, conservation, and education, we help Marylanders understand our historical and cultural heritage.

About us