Historic preservation group will reveal exciting plans for 2025 and beyond.
The Nanticoke Historic Preservation Alliance (NHPA) will hold its 2025 annual meeting on February 23rd at 3:00 pm at the Dorchester County Historical Society’s Robbins Center (1003 Greenway Drive, Cambridge, MD). The Dorchester-based nonprofit will recap some of its past accomplishments and announce exciting future plans for the Handsell Historic Site near Vienna.
NHPA has completed a number of ambitious projects over the years, including preservation of the circa 18th Century Handsell House, construction of a Native American longhouse and garden, and installation of a memorial to enslaved African Americans. The group also hosts two annual living history events at Handsell: Chicone Village Day in the Spring and the Nanticoke River Jamboree in the Fall.
NHPA has big plans for 2025 that include purchasing land, constructing a new building (Three Cultures Center), acquiring a cache of period architectural treasures, and implementing an appropriate and sensible landscaping plan. Trustee Midge Ingersoll will give a presentation on NHPA’s past and future projects at the annual meeting, which will also include brief talks about the historical importance of the architectural items and environmental benefits of the landscaping plan. At the meeting, a significant Dorchester County artwork will be gifted to the NHPA board.
“It’s been exciting over the past 20 years to see NHPA preserve the brick house at Handsell, share the history of three cultures, and raise awareness about this important Dorchester County Heritage area,” says Ingersoll. “We’ve also managed to make a positive impact in State preservation circles.”
NHPA’s annual meeting figures to be a can’t-miss event for anyone interested in not only Eastern Shore history and historic preservation but also hands-on learning and community building. Attendees can mingle and meet with board members and volunteers, as well as representatives from the National Park Service, the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, and the Maryland Historic Trust who will help NHPA celebrate 20 years of outstanding success. The “Handsell Chefs” will provide soups, appetizers, and dessert for the event, which is free and open to the public.
For more information, please email [email protected] or visit www.restorehandsell.org.
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