Lost Towns and AA County Honored at Heritage Awards

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The Lost Towns Project and Anne Arundel County’s Cultural Resources Section were among the awardees honored at the twentieth annual Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Awards, held on November 2nd at historic Baldwin Hall in Millersville. Honorees included:

  • The Archaeology of Jug Bay for the Heritage Partnership of the Year
  • Anne Arundel County’s Historic Markers Program for the Public/Private Initiative
  • C. Jane Cox for the Patricia Barland Leadership Award
  • View the full list of honorees here
Heritage Partnership of the Year

The Archaeology of Jug Bay initiative won the Heritage Partnership of the Year Award. Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary has partnered with archaeologists from Anne Arundel County Cultural Resources Section and the Lost Towns Project since 2015 to research the area’s 13,000+ year-old human history and to share these discoveries with the public. The Jug Bay area is home to some of the most important archaeological sites in the state; Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary alone has 24 registered archaeological sites between the three properties they manage. Citizen science projects at these sites have brought hundreds of volunteers and grade school students to participate in discovering their community’s heritage through archaeology.

Over the past year, these three organizations have worked together to host three archaeology paddle tours, one archaeology hike, and one homeschool program. They also debuted the Native American Heritage Toolbox an online resource that shares the discoveries of Jug Bay archaeology with the general public.

Public/Private Initiative Award

Anne Arundel County’s Historic Markers Program, run by its Cultural Resources Section, won the Public/Private Initiative Award. The program began in 2021 and is a collaboration between public agencies, heritage organizations, and local historians which highlights and celebrates local history.

The program seeks to recognize often under-represented history and places that may not be recognized by the conventional historic preservation mechanisms. Some important sites lack an aboveground presence (as in archaeological resources, or the location of historic houses that have been demolished). In other cases, surviving physical resources are on private property, not necessarily visible from the public way, and thus are not publicly accessible. This makes applying conventional heritage tourism tools and methods challenging, and results in limitations to the public’s understanding of the full range of resources and historic landscapes that tell the whole story of the County’s historic development.

In the three years that the program has been in operation, the County and dozens of non-profit and private community partners have developed, produced, and installed 24 wayside interpretive signs, 24 roadside markers, and 18 signs for small family cemeteries. These markers, which commemorate historic structures, archaeological sites, and cultural landscapes, provide a powerful means of communicating with the public on important historic places that matter across the Heritage Area.

County offices and community partners include:

With contributions from Stacy Poulos

Patricia Barland Leadership Award – C. Jane Cox

C. Jane Cox was honored with the Patricia Barland Leadership Award, awarded for the highest level of achievement over a career with long-lasting contributions to local history and heritage. Jane currently serves as the Administrator of the Cultural Resources Section of Anne Arundel County’s Office of Planning & Zoning and is a founding board member of the Lost Towns Project.

Over decades of public service, Jane has participated and then overseen archaeological and historic preservation research and compliance projects at dozens of sites across Anne Arundel County. She has also developed public programs, museum exhibits, websites, and more for training and education. A short sampling of projects she has worked with support from with the Heritage Area includes “Paddle Through History” kayak tours, archaeology displays for the public, a cemetery symposium, and the much-lauded Story Map project, “African American Voices, Memories and Places: A Four Rivers Heritage Trail.”

She thrives on bringing the rediscovery of the past to the citizens who live in and visit the County. Her extensive knowledge of the heritage assets of the County has made her a sought-after expert on matters of local archaeology, history, and heritage, and her efforts have had a long-lasting effect on historic preservation and interpretation.

Congratulations, Jane!

With contributions from Heather Ersts and Dr. Carol Benson

Photos courtesy of Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area

Volunteers Bob & Vera Wiest Receive Heritage Award

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Our very own volunteers Bob and Vera Wiest are the recipients of the 2022 Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Stewardship Award! This award recognizes “efforts that make a difference in stewardship of our natural resources or built environment.” 

This married couple of archaeological all-stars process artifact collections by washing, labeling, and preparing artifacts for curation. Whether it’s a 10,000-year-old spear point or a piece of pottery from the 1800s, we know we can count on Bob and Vera to get the job done with care and dedication. Over the last two years, Bob and Vera have given over 550(!) combined hours towards preserving local history! We truly could not do what we do without the generosity of incredible volunteers like Bob and Vera–Congratulations on this well-deserved award!