Historic Preservation Award Winners Announced
In celebration of Maryland Historic Preservation Month, four awards were presented by the St. Mary’s County commissioners. This year, one project award, one lifetime achievement award, and two service awards were presented May 24.
The following recipients were recognized:
- Sam Baldwin for “The John Hanson Briscoe Historical Project,” which documents the life and times of the St. Mary’s County lawyer, judge, and former speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates.
- Kent Randell for his research and subsequent manuscript on the Susquehanna estate and the families connected with it in early St. Mary’s County history.
- John Richard Knott was posthumously recognized with a preservation lifetime achievement award for his significant contributions to documenting several aspects of St. Mary’s County history.
- All Saints’ Episcopal Church Oakley Parish and Don Cropp were recognized for the extensive restoration of the 1846 church.
These awards, nominated by citizens and approved by the St. Mary’s County Historic Preservation Commission, recognize excellence and achievement in the field of historic preservation.
Since the awards were established in 1999, the county commissioners have presented 112 historic preservation awards.
The awards fall into three categories:
Preservation service awards recognize outstanding achievement in and support for furthering the aims of historic preservation in St. Mary’s County, including education, research, development, planning advocacy, and community leadership.
Preservation project awards recognize excellence in the preservation and restoration of historic buildings, interpretation of architectural features in new construction, and adaptive reuse of historic structures.
Preservation lifetime achievement awards are given to recipients who have dedicated many years to a worthy preservation cause and made an impact to preservation efforts in St. Mary’s County.
The St. Mary’s County Historic Preservation Commission encourages the public to nominate individuals or groups for projects that represent excellence and achievement in the field of historic preservation for the awards to be presented in May 2023. An application for nomination may be accessed here.
