Surveying Maryland's Historic Properties

The basis of most work undertaken at or through the Maryland Historical Trust is survey. Surveys are generally conducted on a comprehensive basis to identify all significant resources within a region or study area or related to a study theme. A typical MHT survey project is undertaken in partnership with a county or municipal planning office, a private non-profit sponsor, or with a university, using Maryland Historical Trust Non-Capital Grant funds. Grant-funded surveys at the Trust include four steps:

• development of a research design;
  
• reconnaissance work to identify all historical resources in a given region;
  
• intensive-level documentation of resources;
  
• evaluation of the survey data and methodology through a final report.

All data gathered through survey projects in Maryland is collected in the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties and is made available to the public online or by visiting the MHT Library.
Current and recent grant-funded projects include: systematic architectural surveys in Howard, Queen Anne’s and Dorchester counties; a regional survey along the Patapsco River valley; a thematic study of tobacco barns in southern Maryland; archeological surveys of Somerset County, the Choptank River watershed, and Parkers Creek watershed; and a statewide project to document key historic resources threatened with destruction.

For more information on architectural surveys, contact Thomas Reinhart at (410) 514-7645

For archeological surveys, contact Maureen Kavanagh at (410) 514-7660

Surveying Architectural Resources

Information about buildings and other types of standing structures collected during comprehensive survey projects, regulatory compliance, and other research projects must be meet certain guidelines and formatting requirements. Click here to learn about the requirements for submitting survey data to MHT.

Surveying Archeological Resources

Information about archeological resourcess collected during comprehensive survey projects, regulatory compliance, and other research projects must be meet certain guidelines and formatting requirements.

Click here for the Standards and Guidelines for Archeological Investigations in Maryland