St. Mary's College of Maryland Preservation Master Plan

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St. Mary’s College of MarylandPreservation Master PlanHistoric St. Mary’s City February 2008and hoped to develop a cooperative working relationshipwith the permanent commission (Commission to Study theFeasibility and Desirability of Restoring Historic St. Mary’sCity 1966:3-4). Local residents, including some landownersin possession of key parcels targeted for acquisition, werealso supportive.The General Assembly found the Study Commission’sarguments convincing and effective July 1, 1966, thepermanent St. Mary’s City Commission was established(Carr [1984]; Maryland General Assembly 1973 176:238).Immediately, the commission, chaired by St. Mary’s Cityresident General Robert E. Hogaboom, a retired MarineCorps General, set about its plans. Housekeeping concerns,such as acquiring custody of the State House from thestate, occupied much of the first year. The first round ofmajor repairs to the State House, restrooms, dock, andlandscaping were planned. The first staff members werehired, including historical consultants H. Chandlee Formanand Orin Bullock. By the fall of 1967, the commission hadformulated a policy for land acquisition of the most essentialportions of the original 1,500-acre Town Lands, as well asprotection of less critical sites through zoning or easements(St. Mary’s City Commission 1967).“Birth of Tolerance” student performance,inside State House, 1950 (Courtesy of SMCMArchives).By 1968, electric heating was installed in the State Houseand brick walks had been extended around the exterior. Thenearby toilet facility, which was constructed in 1938 with acement slab roof, was improved with a gabled wood-shingledroof and an attached wooden shed to house maintenanceequipment (Tongue, Brooks & Co. 1968). Conservationtreatments were made to paintings and furnishings withinthe State House and the site’s first drinking fountain wasinstalled. Historical markers and signs were also installedaround the grounds to inform visitors about the importanceof the site. (St. Mary’s City Commission Annual Reports1968:5). A history-themed bookshop was opened. A formaleducational consortium relationship with St. Mary’s Collegeand the Smithsonian Institute was initiated. In 1968, a HUDfundedplanner, Robert L. Plavnik of Washington, D.C., wasretained to work with the staff and its new historian, Dr. LoisCarr, to formulate a Master Plan for the site. St. Mary’sCity was placed on Maryland’s Register of Historic Sitesand Landmarks and was recommended for inclusion in theNational Register (Carr [1984]).In August 1969 St. Mary’s City was recognized as a NationalHistoric Landmark. Master planning studies continuedand the first archeological dig occurred in an emergencysituation brought about by dormitory construction plans.Underwater archeology began as well, and the first HUDPage 2-39
St. Mary’s College of MarylandPreservation Master PlanHistoric St. Mary’s City February 2008Tentative mapping of ca.1678 St. Mary’s City town plan, 1974 (Miller 1988:61)Page 2-40funding grant was procured to acquire Chancellor’s Point.The commission offices moved to Calvert Hall, and staffcompleted the Master Plan in March 1970. Researchprograms were formally begun in 1970, and eventuallyexpanded to include archeological field schools, exhibitsin the State House, summer study programs, HABSdocumentation of remaining historic structures within thetown lands, a self-guided tour of St. Mary’s City, madrigaldinners and historical pageants utilizing the State Houseand grounds, and even an NEH-funded history study ofimmigration, farming, and building construction practices inthe west of England, original birthplace of the early Maryland
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St. Mary's College of Maryland Preservation Master Plan

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