NEWS FROM FOUR RIVERS
September 7, 2021
Check Out Our Recent Blog Posts!
During this time of curtailed activities due to COVID-19, we have been sharing online resources and information from our partners. If you haven’t been to our website recently, here are some posts you may have missed.

We will continue to gather resources to keep you informed and to keep all of us connected!





Fall Mini-Grant Round Announced
Four Rivers Heritage Area is pleased to announce the availability of our Fall FY22 Mini-Grants!

Visit the Mini-Grants tab on our Grants page to access the Application and Guidelines. Click on the Mini-Grants tab. 
Applications in the new grant cycle are due by October 6 and funding decisions will be announced by October 29, 2021.

These Mini-Grants are available for new heritage and preservation-related programs, activities, products, and events. We encourage Mini-Grant proposals that include collaborative partnerships and enhanced heritage tourism, preservation, and/or the stewardship of historical, cultural, and natural resources.

Non-profit organizations and municipalities are eligible to apply for projects that will be located within the boundaries of the Heritage Area. The maximum award is $5,000 and applicants must provide a one-to-one match (any combination of Cash or In-Kind).

This grant round is expected to be highly competitive; partial funding awards are likely. To learn more, applicants must send a representative to attend a mandatory zoom workshop on Thursday, September 23 at 3 p.m. Please send an e-mail to heritage_area@aacounty.org to register.
Call for Nominations for 18th Annual Heritage Awards
Do you know a great heritage practitioner? Perhaps a valuable staff member or dedicated volunteer you would like to publicly acknowledge?

Four Rivers Heritage Area seeks nominations for its Eighteenth Annual Heritage Awards. These awards recognize individuals, organizations, partnerships, programs and products that contribute significantly to the community by interpreting, promoting, preserving, researching and/or supporting our historical legacy.

In 2021, nominations are invited in ten categories, including Heritage Tourism Product Award, Heritage Volunteer Award, Heritage Partnership Award, Heritage Professional of the Year, Heritage Interpreter of the Year, Legacy Award, and Public/Private Initiative Award. Other categories include the Sponsor of the Year Award, the Stewardship Award, and the Heritage Leadership Award, which goes to an individual for significant and long-lasting contributions to local history and heritage. Self-nominations are accepted.

Virtual Lecture - The Two Harriets: Tubman and Beecher Stowe, TONIGHT!
Tuesday, September 7
7:30 pm
Organization: Historic Annapolis

Join Historic Annapolis as we commemorate September as International Underground Railroad Month with a presentation by Dr. Richard Bell discussing two amazing women, Harriet Tubman and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

"So you’re the little lady who started this great war!” said President Abraham Lincoln in the fall of 1862 when he finally met Harriet Beecher Stowe. This “little lady” was the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a roller-coaster anti-slavery novel that had become a huge best-seller after its publication in 1852. But Lincoln might just as well have been talking to, and about, Harriet Tubman. Like Stowe, Tubman’s activism advanced the fight against slavery and edged this country closer to Civil War. As the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad, Tubman and her allies built an anti-slavery escape network that stretched from the bowels of the slave South all the way into British Canada. Join HA for a talk about these two American icons with University of Maryland historian Dr. Richard Bell.

Registration is required. Cost to participate is $15 per household for General Admission or $10 per household for HA Members and Volunteers. Register for The Two Harriets: Tubman and Beecher Stowe.
Lunch and Learn: Researching Baltimore’s Historic Laurel Cemetery
Thursday, September 9
1:00 pm
Organizations: The Maryland State Archives in collaboration with The Enoch Pratt Free Library and The Maryland Four Centuries Project

Featuring speakers Professors Isaac Shearn and Elgin Klugh, Laurel Cemetery was incorporated in 1852 as the first nondenominational cemetery for African Americans in Baltimore, quickly becoming a popular place of burial across Black Baltimore’s socioeconomic spectrum. In collaboration with the Baltimore African American Historical and Genealogical Society (BAAHGS), the State of Maryland Archives, and the Baltimore City Archives, researchers are utilizing Baltimore City Death Certificates to identify Laurel Cemetery Burials. Thus far, archival researchers have identified records of over 14,000 burials. This presentation will discuss past and ongoing collaborative archival research, and further history being revealed about the people and community associated with Laurel Cemetery.

Summer Concert at Goshen Farm
Friday, September 10
6:30-8:30 pm
Goshen Farm
1420 Cape St. Claire Road, Annapolis

Join the Free Friday Night Summer Concert Series at Goshen Farm! End your week on a high note and rock in the weekend with a whole new 2021 line-up. It’s a family-friendly setting in Cape St. Claire on the Broadneck Penisula. You can walk, bike, or drive over to hear great tunes, enjoy friends, and relax. So pack up the blankets, grab some snacks, and head over.

The September 10th concert features Biondi Family Band and AcoustiCafe. There is limited seating available, so make sure to bring chairs and blankets. Bring your own food and drinks too!
MHT 30th Annual Workshop in Archaeology
Saturday, September 11
9:00 am - 3:30 pm
100 Community Place, Crownsville

The Maryland Historical Trust, working in partnership with The Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc., proudly presents the 30th Annual Workshop in Archaeology.

The keynote speaker this year will be Dr. Richard J. Dent, recently retired Associate Professor of Anthropology at American University. Dr. Dent will regale attendees with tales of his decades of research in Potomac Valley archaeology. Other offerings will include hands-on workshops in photogrammetry, soils analysis and coring, identification of historic ceramics, open-source (i.e. "free") GIS software, use of the Atlatl, and the Certified Archaeological Technician (CAT) Prehistoric Overview Session.

Admission Fee (payable at the door): $7.00 General admission; $5.00 for ASM members and students.
Leaving Home: Meet the First Maryland Regiment
Saturday, September 11
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Shiplap House
18 Pinkney Street, Annapolis

Visit Pinkney Street and meet the First Maryland Regiment as they prepare to leave Annapolis and head into battle, watch them drill for the upcoming fight with British forces, and talk with their families and see how they prepare their supplies. Learn how the efforts and incredible courage of these men allowed the rest of the Continental Army to escape complete destruction at the first major battle of the Revolutionary War.

Owen Lourie, Maryland State Archives historian, will offer a special presentation on the "Maryland 400," telling the full story of these men and their bravery. This talk will be offered at 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm. Advance registration for timed entry is recommended.

Timed entry will be offered at 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm. Cost to attend is Free with a suggested donation of $5. Register for Leaving Home: Meet the First Maryland Regiment.
An Afternoon of Romance at Hammond-Harwood House
Sunday, September 12
3:00 - 5:00 pm
Hammond-Harwood House
19 Maryland Ave, Annapolis

Join Ballet Theatre of Maryland for An Afternoon of Romance in the gardens at the Hammond-Harwood House Museum. This program will feature a selection of dances for two or three dancers, centering on underlying themes of relationships and love portrayed through the beauty of classical ballet.

Cost to attend is $70 for nonmembers and $50 for members. For questions call 410-263-4683 extension 10 or email info@hammondharwoodhouse.org.
AASLH 2021 Online Conference Registration Open
Are you unable to attend the AASLH/AMA Annual Meeting in Little Rock? If that is the case, AASLH is offering a second opportunity to connect with colleagues and participate in sessions around the theme Doing History/Doing Justice with an Online Conference on October 12-15. Registration is now open! Registration Deadline is October 7.

The 2021 Online Conference will be an inspirational and informative experience. The online meeting will focus on sessions that allow speakers to share their stories, strategies, and expertise while interacting with participants through the chat function and some breakout rooms. The flexibility of the online format also allows the conference to be more reflective of crucial topics that emerge for the field in the months and weeks before the virtual meeting including our Thought-Leader sessions focusing on Trauma and Public History; Museums, Civic Learning, and Democracy; and Land, Space, and Place. Happy hours and discussion groups will encourage conversation between participants. (Schedule subject to change.)

Full Access: $55 for members; $75 for nonmembers
Basic Access: Free
Register for Upcoming PastForward Workshops
This year, National Trust for Historic Preservation will be offering workshops to extend your educational experience. These skill building workshops are free and open to all, and compliments content in the conference program. Registration is free and required for participation.

September sessions include:

Tuesday, September 14 • 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Learn how stories, documentation, and outreach can be turned into action plans for preservation.

Tuesday, September 21 • 2:00-4:00 p.m.
This workshop provides clarity of definitions and terminology, describes climate concepts and outlines various strategies to address the impacts of climate on heritage.

Tuesday, September 28 • 2:00-4:00 p.m.
This session provides an introduction to the legal mechanisms used to protect historic resources, including constitutional issues related to governmental regulation of historic properties, preservation easements, as well as federal, state, and local historic preservation laws.
Virtual Regional Arts Summit Coming Soon
Join Maryland State Arts Council on Thursday, September 23rd from 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. to kick off the 2021 Virtual Regional Arts Summit!

At the kickoff, they will hold virtual space for artists and arts organizations to convene with MSAC staff and arts professionals through sessions on reimagining your organization, presentations from our collaborators, and arts discipline-specific artmaking. Following this kickoff, we will hold an Aesthetic Perspectives Salon Series that will highlight organizations across six regions of Maryland and the ways they are implementing the aesthetic perspectives framework. Registration is now open
Preliminary Comment Period Ending Soon for Annapolis Ahead Draft
Have you checked out the draft Goals, performance metrics, and recommended actions for the Annapolis Ahead 2040 Comprehensive Plan? Now is the time to review this important draft content for the plan and submit your comments by September 17!

The draft plan content was released in mid-June through the Annapolis Ahead website in an effort to get public input that could help refine the plan as it continues to evolve. Although there will be more opportunities to comment when the draft plan document is released later this year, the current review period is an opportunity for residents and other Annapolis stakeholders to see the direction of the plan and provide input to help improve the plan's focus.

Comments can be submitted directly through the Annapolis Ahead website to each of the plan's eight chapter elements which include Municipal Growth, Land Use, Housing, Transportation, Community Facilities, Arts & Culture, Environmental Sustainability, and Water Resources. All submitted comments are being logged and will be addressed as part of the planning process.
Four Rivers is Hiring!
Four Rivers is looking for a dynamic self-starter to join our team! Potential for advancement for the right person.


Four Rivers Heritage Area (one of Maryland’s thirteen certified heritage areas), a nonprofit organization with its office in Annapolis, seeks a part-time Heritage Programs Coordinator. Excellent interpersonal, writing, and communications skills are essential. Grants, tourism, museum, nonprofit management, and preservation experience are preferred. The Heritage Programs Coordinator works under the supervision of the Executive Director. This is a part-time position with flexibility in schedule.

To Apply: Submit a cover letter and resume to Carol Benson, Executive Director, Four Rivers Heritage Area, by email at heritage_area@aacounty.org. The position will remain open until filled.
Four Rivers Heritage Area | 410-222-1805 | heritage_area@aacounty.org | fourriversheritage.org