As part of Preservation Month in May, CCBC will receive a Maryland Preservation Award for Excellence in Public Programming and Exhibits for its Historical Signage Project at CCBC Catonsville. The event will be live streamed on Maryland Historical Trust’s Facebook page at 1 p.m. Friday, May 24.
CCBC is one of 11 award recipients of MHT’s 49th annual Maryland Preservation Awards. MHT’s Board of Trustees selected the winners for their noteworthy accomplishments in the preservation field, recognizing outstanding education, restoration and revitalization projects, as well as individual leadership.
CCBC created the Historical Signage Project to amplify the stories of the invisible people – many of them people of color – who played significant roles in shaping the land upon which the Catonsville campus now exists. Research for the project was provided by Michelle Wright, CCBC associate professor, History and Africana Studies. Former CCBC Catonsville campus director Joan Swiston, capital project manager Cynthia Moylan, and senior designer Jackie McTear were also part of the project team.
The exhibit illustrates local history from the 1600s through the early 1900s, including tobacco and dairy farming, ironworks and other industries supported by enslaved, free and indentured laborers. Interpretive Signage, made possible through a grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas program, is placed around the campus so visitors can take a self-guided walking tour.