top of page

DOCUMENTARY

Commonvision

Commonvision
OCA Mocha promo

OCA Mocha promo

04:55
Play Video
UMBC Woolies - Welcome Week - Campus Life

UMBC Woolies - Welcome Week - Campus Life

02:47
Play Video
Campus Life at UMBC

Campus Life at UMBC

02:37
Play Video
UMBC fall 2019 welcome week

UMBC fall 2019 welcome week

02:22
Play Video

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Urban Forest Patches
03:52

Imaging Research Center

Historic Town of Highland Beach, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
00:50

Historic Town of Highland Beach, Anne Arundel County, Maryland

On Saturday, June 17, Preservation Maryland hosted a walking tour of the historic Highland Beach neighborhood in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The tour was led by Gary and Jean Langston of the Frederick Douglass Museum and Cultural Center, and the current Mayor of Highland Beach Sam Sanders and his wife, who have lead many of the recent environmental and green projects in the Town. The tour ended with a visit to the studio of Lillian Burwell, a still-working and celebrated artist. MORE HISTORY Highland Beach was founded in the summer of 1893 by Charles Douglass and his wife Laura after they had been turned away from a restaurant at the nearby Bay Ridge resort because of their race. They brought a 40-acre tract on the Chesapeake Bay with 500 feet of beachfront and turned it into a summer enclave for their family and friends. It became a gathering place for upper-class blacks, including many of the well known personages of the age. Among the residents and guests were Paul Robeson, D.C. municipal court judge Robert Terrell and his wife Dr. Mary Church Terrell, Booker T. Washington, Robert Weaver, Alex Haley, W.E.B. DuBois, and poets Langston Hughes and Paul Laurence Dunbar. Charles Douglass' father, the famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass, visited and would have become a resident had he not died before the house that his son was building for him was completed. When Highland Beach was incorporated in 1922 it became the first African-American municipality in Maryland. Although founded as a summer resort, it is now a town of year-round residents who choose not to permit commercial establishments. CREDITS Video and editing by Adan Rodriguez
One Year Later: Historic Ellicott City Flood Recovery
00:56

One Year Later: Historic Ellicott City Flood Recovery

On the evening on Saturday, July 30, 2016, the center of historic Ellicott City, Maryland was devastated by a flood, one of the strongest in its 250 year history. In less than 90 minutes, the torrential rainstorm dropped over six inches of rain. In addition to threatening the lives of those trapped in the storm and in the buildings, the flood also presented dramatic challenges for preservationists concerned about the integrity of the resources in the National Register Historic District. PRESERVATION MARYLAND RESPONSE In the days and weeks that followed, Preservation Maryland moved quickly to support as many members of the historic Ellicott City community as possible. From engineering support to technical assistance and the establishment of a Preservation Resource Center, the 86-year old organization adapted to meet the needs of the community. *You can support Preservation Maryland's work in Ellicott City and help us prepare for the next emergency, by donating online: presmd.org/support.* GRANT FUNDS In August 2017, as the final act of its response, the organization is partnering with Historic Ellicott City, Inc. to distribute $50,000 in grants to deserving projects throughout the district. AFTER ACTION REPORT Preservation Maryland is also pleased to announce the publication of an After Action Report on the organization’s involvement following the disaster which includes a review of what worked and what did not, as well as recommendations for non-profits and municipalities across the nation that are working to make their own historic communities more resilient to natural disasters. You can read and download the full report at: presmd.org/ecreport. LOOKING AHEAD Responding to the Ellicott City flood changed Preservation Maryland in ways that are innumerable to count. The organization is stronger because of its involvement. It was one of the most dramatic and exceptional financial challenges the organization ever accepted – but accepting the challenge has also vastly expanded its network of friends and supporters. More importantly, the experience provided the organization the opportunity to reinforce the value of heritage in a community – even in a community devastated by disaster. Preservation was no longer just about wood windows and brick patterns; instead, preservation and history became the foundation upon which to rebuild the community itself. The history of the community was what defined this place and would be the defining character that would help it recover. Preservation Maryland is proud to have played a small role in that story and is quietly preparing for whenever and wherever the next disaster may strike.

Preservation Maryland

Brent Crothers

bottom of page