News Release, Charles County Public Information Office
La Plata, MD- The Department of Planning and Growth Management’s annual online publication, “Preservation Matters: Celebrating Charles County’s Historic Places,” is now available for viewing online. To view the newsletter, visit www.CharlesCountyMD.gov/pgm/planning/preservation-matters.
This edition features“A Day of Collaboration and Rediscovery,” which highlights the important documentation efforts that took place at Mount Hope Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist African American congregation in Charles County, and also at the Carroll Cemetery in nearby Poseytown. A work group comprised of volunteers from the congregation, the community, and several local groups including Preservation Maryland, Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites, and Charles County Department of Planning and Growth Management, worked collaboratively to document Mount Hope’s unique and important history through interviews and oral histories, cataloging and mapping burial sites, archaeology, and architectural assessment.
Other featured articles explore the rise and fall of Hughesville’s loose-leaf tobacco markets, as well as the history of Hughesville and of ancient Native American seasonal villages and settlements found in Charles County. The 2018-2019 edition also covers information on Zekiah Valley, Epp Farmstead in Gallant Green, and the Village of Port Tobacco.
A limited number of printed copies of the magazine are available upon request. To obtain a printed copy of the magazine, or for more information about the “Preservation Matters” publication, contact Beth Groth at GrothB@CharlesCountyMD.gov or 301-645-0684.
