The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program has added 31 new entries to its list of sites, five of which are located in Maryland. Goshen Farm in Annapolis, Isaac Mason Escape Site in Chestertown, St. Augustine Church in Chesapeake, Rich Hill in Bel Alton, and Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal in Susquehanna State Park in Havre de Grace. Of note, Preservation Maryland is actively working with the Department of Natural Resources on the restoration of Rock Run Gristmill, located within Susquehanna State Park, where the roof, windows, doors, masonry, and structural components of the late 18th-century mill will be addressed, as well as site work to protect the foundation from flood damage. The Network to Freedom program, created by Congress in 1998, highlights more than 800 places and programs. The Network verifies that each one is a true story about the men, women and children who freed themselves or were helped by others to escape enslavement. (fb)

In honor of National Preservation Month, we’re sharing the history and stories behind some of Maryland’s iconic structures and hidden historic gems. Originally a movie theater constructed in 1912 called Schanze’s Theater, the building that is now the Arch Social Club went through several iterations. By the 1950s, the club, originally founded in 1905, was a meeting place for prominent civil rights leaders like Thurgood Marshall, Clarence and Juanita Mitchell, and Charles Hamilton Houston. They also hosted performances by Billie Holiday, Cyrus Chestnut, and Tupac Shakur, among others. In more recent years, the club partnered with Neighborhood Design Center to restore the roof and prepare a Historic Structure Report. In 2019, the Black Arts District was officially created in Baltimore, and the Arch Social Club is now just one of the many historically Black businesses that line the street on historic Pennsylvania Ave. (fb)