We are excited to announce our mini-grant awards to 6 organizations across the heritage area.

Berlin Heritage Foundation was awarded $2,500 for the development of two new exhibits in the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum. The Museum will be researching, creating, and installing two new exhibits telling the stories from the African American communities in Berlin. The first will be about Briddletown, which refers to the east end of Flower Street that was established in 1866 by free blacks and formerly enslaved people who settled there in the years following the Civil War.
The second will revolve around the history of Reverend Doctor Charles Albert Tindley, an American Methodist minister and gospel music composer who was born in Berlin, MD and whose composition "I'll Overcome Someday" is credited as the basis for the U.S. Civil Rights anthem "We Shall Overcome."

Crisfield Heritage Foundation was awarded $900 create a new exhibit within the J. Millard 
Tawes Historical Museum in Crisfield. The exhibit will showcase the history of the Agricultural 
industry in Crisfield and the surrounding areas of Somerset County. Current and past exhibits within the 
museum have showcased industries such as Seafood (crabbing and oystering), decoy carving, shipbuilding, manufacturing and even the political heritage. ​

Delmarva Discovery Museum was awarded $2,500 to host Delmarva Heritage Days, a 2-day event in March that will celebrate Delmarva’s rich decoy carving history and its unique traditions. Master carvers and living legends will be on hand to demonstrate their craft and tell their stories. In addition, their will be a decoy historian on hand to historic decoys for their age and value.

The Maryland Coastal Bays Program is receiving $2,500 to promote the heritage and history of the fishing industry in the greater Ocean City Area in what is titled Voices of the Coastal Bays. The stories hidden within these fisheries will be told, recognized and supported with individual oral histories of local fishermen and commercial fishermen. They’ll also be producing a Sustainable Seafood Guide highlighting local species and the importance of making environmentally-conscious seafood choices that promote local catches. In addition, an interactive story page on their website that will take the visitor through the history of fishing in the Coastal Bays.
​

Somerset County Historical Trust was awarded $1,000 to produce a Fairmount Academy Film Series. Finds will be used to acquire and market a 3 date film series, to be shown outside on the Fairmount Academy Grounds, in Spring, early Summer and Fall of 2022. Proceeds will be used to continue to restore the Fairmount Academy property and buildings.
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Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art was awarded $2,500 in funding to support an exhibit (January 28 – May 15, 2022), gallery book (available January 2022), virtual exhibit tour (March 2022), and artist talk and community roundtable (February 2022), all focused on a new series of artworks reflecting Black experiences of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, created by Berlin, MD artist Patrick Henry.
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The Germantown School is a two-teacher, Rosenwald school serving students in the African American community of Germantown, Maryland from its opening in 1922 until the late 1950s.

It’s almost seal season (late December-May) so thought we’d share this great program in case you want to get involved.
Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) and the National Aquarium partnered in 2012 to launch an outreach program on responsible seal viewing and sighting reporting. Out of this partnership developed the seal steward program, as Ocean City and Assateague Island have been experiencing a significant increase in seal sightings.
This citizen volunteer opportunity is an ‘on call’ opportunity.  When a seal hauls out, seal stewards are contacted to see if they are available to man the haul out area to make sure beach and dog walkers keep a safe distance to protect both the walkers, dogs, and the seal.

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Town of Snow Hill- $29,715
Upgrades and refurbishment to the hull of the Paddlewheel boat- The Black-Eyed Susan
​
The Black-Eyed Susan is a 111-foot paddle wheel boat was purchased by the Town of Snow Hill in the fall
of 2020 for $324,900, which will be used to enhance Snow Hill and the region through tours, education,
training, seminars and other cultural heritage-centered events and uses. This vessel will provide a
unique venue and magnate for enhancing cultural heritage appreciation and knowledge for the region.
In the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022. the Town will need to upgrade and refurbish below the water line
so that this vessel will be viable for years to come, which is the subject of this project application. The
project includes transportation of the vessel to Cambridge, MD, from Snow Hill, MD, and extraction
from the water for restoration, and return transportation to Snow Hill.

Through this project, the museum and the Town of Snow Hill have an opportunity to provide exposure
to and interpretation of the history and culture of Snow Hill, Worcester County, and the surrounding
region while reaching out to heritage tourists, local residents, and school-aged students. The welcome
exhibit and programs will add to the museum's ability to market itself to heritage tourists and engage
with the local community. It will be on display indefinitely and will contribute to the town of Snow Hill's
appeal as a heritage destination.

This vessel will be used for group events, community events, private charters and regional attraction of
visitors to Snow Hill for heritage tourism, cultural sustainability, inclusivity, and accessibility. The vessel
has a full kitchen and capacity for 150.

Pocomoke City- $10,000
Sturgis One-Room African-American School Museum & 1850 Heritage House

The Sturgis One Room School is a historic U.S. school and is the only African American One Room School in Worcester County retaining its original integrity; it is urgent we preserve this monumental building.  The community used this one room school from 1900 to 1937. It was originally known as Sturgis School and was located on Brantley Road. It was moved to its current location in 1996. Restoration and outfitting the Sturgis One Room School is an ongoing task of Sturgis One Room School Museum, Inc. It has been made possible through funds from Pocomoke City, Worcester County, charitable organizations, and personal contributions.
This project would allow for roofing repairs, wood replacement, paint, deck accessibility ramp and landscaping; signage.
Sturgis One Room School Museum, Inc. is an organization that actively works to preserve, promote, and protect the rich cultural heritage of Sturgis One Room School and educate our youth to value the school's cultural and historical richness.

Salisbury, MD - $23,423
Ward Museum Nature Trail Interpretation
This project will replace decades-old interpretive signage along the nature trail at the Ward
Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University (operated by the Ward Foundation). The nature trail runs
along Schumaker Pond, and currently interprets the natural heritage of the region, with attention to
biological diversity. The signs are badly faded and cracked to the point of being illegible.
MHAA funds will support the creation of new signage featuring revised interpretation focused on
regional natural and cultural heritage. These signs will be a welcomed improvement to the nature trail,
which has become a respite for many local visitors. Additionally, the signs will be a means for out-of-
area visitors to get to know the cultural and natural heritage of our region, and a tool for museum
educators, who regularly use the Nature Trail during field trips and afterschool programming.
Proposed sign themes include: 1) history of the landscape, including a history of the pond and the WM
campus; 2) indigenous history and contemporary presence in the region, with attention to interaction
with the natural landscape; 3) understanding the pond as part of the Atlantic Flyway, and interaction
and importance of birds in the cultural landscape; 4) native plants and the benefits of maintaining these;
5) Schumaker Pond as part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed 6) human impacts on the natural
environment that affect the pond—e.g., increasing stream flow due to climate change, causes of algal
blooms, 7 & 8) the Lower Shore's cultural landscapes. Phases including interpretation of Native themes
will include collaboration with regional tribal leaders (Assateague, Accohannock, Nanticoke, Nause-
Waiwash, and Pocomoke), with focus on the Nanticoke Indian Tribe and Pocomoke Indian Nation due to
traditional proximity to the landscape.

Parsons Cemetery, located in Salisbury, is today both operational and historic. According to their website, it is an urban green space, an outdoor museum, and in the words of architectural historian, Keith Eggener, urban cemeteries "are where life meets death, nature meets city, and present meets past."

Preservation Maryland recently bestowed Parsons Cemetery with the 2020
Best of Maryland Community Choice Award.  Over the past several years, the Parsons Cemetery Advisory Board has worked hard to develop walking tours in Parsons Cemetery. Seven tours have been developed and more are being planned for future release. In addition to the tours, Parsons Cemetery is an active participant in
the Wreaths Across America program which honors veterans at Christmas time.

Over the past year, a comprehensive database was created to identify all the veterans who are
interred in Parsons Cemetery so they can be recognized, even those who have no markers.
Work is now underway to create a comprehensive database of all first responders interred in
the cemetery. Ultimately, the Board’s goal is to make the information in the Cemetery
Information Management System (CIMS) available to the public, so they can search for and
locate any person interred in Parsons Cemetery. However, this information is not very useful if people are not easily able to locate graves. Thus, the Board believes the installation of signage is a critical next step in the continued development of self-guided tours and other activities like Wreaths Across America.

Currently, there are no signs which delineate the layout of the cemetery. Parson’s Cemetery is
broken into 9 sections with 40 rows of plots. Through the strategic placement of 19 signs at
various points in the cemetery, the signs will make it easier for people to complete the self-
guided tours in a timely manner. The signs will also make it easier for visitors to locate a specific
person interred in Parsons. The impact of these signs will be immediate and long-lasting, as the
signs will be a permanent feature of the cemetery. Work is expected to be completed by June
2021.   

You can visit their site, by clicking here.

The pandemic has been hard on individuals, on small businesses, and on museums such as the Delmarva
Discovery Museum in Pocomoke City, Maryland. It has also been challenging for Mac and Tuck, the river
otters at the Delmarva Discovery Museum. It turns out they would prefer to have more visitors. In spite
of having lots of attention by trained staff who adore them, they miss hamming it up for visitors.

The museum is now offering private guided or self-guided tours to increase social distancing.
Appointments are available Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. The otters are most
likely to be playful around 10 am, or at about 2 pm. Museum admission for a self-guided tour is $10 for
adults and $5 for children.  Self-guided tour groups will be limited to no more than 10. Members may
enjoy unlimited visits, subject to schedule availability.  Once you have finished your tour, enjoy a private
shopping experience in the museum's gift shop.  Reservations are required and can be made online at
delmarvadiscoverycenter.org or by calling the museum at 410-957-9933.  ​

On Tuesday, December 1, Giving Tuesday offers an opportunity to help heritage-related nonprofits on the lower eastern shore. By making a donation to the Beach to Bay Heritage area during this nationwide online giving event, you can help preserve our local heritage. As one of 13 heritage areas in Maryland, Beach to Bay blends economic development with conservation of our area's natural,  cultural, and historic resources. During this pandemic year we have:

• started to create virtual tours for our museums to allow visits even when they're closed,
• created a strong partnership with the Rural Maryland Council to  help us fund new projects and to create our new branding, and
• continued to award up to $15,000 each year in mini grants to heritage tourism nonprofits to support new exhibits, brochures, and interpretive materials. 

If you’re not able to give on December 1, schedule your donation anytime between November 23 and December 1 by clicking the button below. Need help? Contact Lisa Challenger at info@beachesbayswaterways.org. ​

SALISBURY, Md. – On Saturday, Nov. 7, Wicomico County officials and volunteers gathered at the Pirate’s Wharf property for a tree planting.
 
The landscape stock trees that were planted stand between 5-12 feet tall.
 
“These trees are a few years old,” said Tyler Walston, environmental planner for Wicomico County Planning and Zoning. “The hope is that they will have a head start and grow to be showpiece trees near areas of interest.”
 
The Pirate’s Wharf project is a multi-phased, large-scale redevelopment of existing farmland located on Whitehaven Road. Phase one of the project is slated to begin this winter. Officials remain hopeful that the park will open to the public in spring 2021. 
 
Learn more about Pirate’s Wharf at http://bit.ly/PiratesWharf.

​November 21 - 22 and December 12th.
With covid protocols in place, Delmarva Birding Weekends has announced the first-of-their-kind Waterfowl Weekends slated for Nov. 21-22 and Dec. 12. Late fall offers high numbers of species for nature lovers to enjoy as waterfowl, hawks, and eagles arrive on the scene. Registration for the event is now open at http://delmarvabirding.com/welcome-waterfowl-weekends/.
 
Nature lovers can register for just one field trip, or multiple field trips each day of the three days of events. In the morning on Nov. 21, folks can search for sea ducks, loons, eiders, and purple sandpipers at select locations in southern Delaware, before embarking on an afternoon trip to the nearby 2,200-acre private Newport Farms to find white pelicans, eagles, and a cornucopia of dabbling ducks.
 
On Nov. 22, local birders who will guide a secret sojourn to four of the best winter birding spots along South Point. The trip takes a unique turn as participants stroll down the private Por Fin Drive, known for its iconic locust trees that grace the gateway to the National Seashore near the Assateague Market. Here, waterfowl enjoy two restored ponds nestled in 130 acres of woods and farmland. 
 

A road trip is the best way to gain a new perspective. Showcasing Maryland’s only coastal county, the Cape to Cape Scenic Byway runs 79 miles of local and state roads from the Atlantic Ocean to the back bays of Chincoteague, Sinepuxent, Assawoman, and Isle of Wight, to the Maryland/Virginia state line. Come discover natural beauty, historic towns, seaside havens, open fields, and vibrant communities along the route.
Set a relaxed pace and take time to stop and explore points of interest that range from well-known treasures to hidden gems. Stretch your legs at photo-worthy vistas, wildlife observation areas, cultural hubs, and don’t miss the seafood eateries, craft breweries, bakeries, or ice cream parlors for a taste of local flavor.

​READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE ON THE Worcester County WEBSITE.