Maryland Society of the Colonial Dames of America

Maryland Society of the Colonial Dames of America
Name	Maryland Society of the Colonial Dames of America
Formation	1894
Type	Non-profit hereditary society
Headquarters	Baltimore, Maryland
Region served	Maryland
Leader title	President

Maryland Society of the Colonial Dames of America is a hereditary lineage society founded in 1894 to promote historic preservation, patriotic service, and the study of colonial American history in Maryland. It is affiliated with the Colonial Dames of America national organization and operates alongside state societies such as the Virginia Society of the Colonial Dames of America and the Pennsylvania Society of the Colonial Dames of America. The society engages with institutions like the Maryland Historical Society, the Library of Congress, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and local bodies including the City of Baltimore and the Maryland Department of Planning.

History

The society was established in the late 19th century amid a wave of patriotic and preservationist founding similar to the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Sons of the American Revolution. Early leaders corresponded with figures at the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, the Philbrick family, and preservationists active at Independence Hall, while participating in commemorations of events like the Battle of Bladensburg, the Treaty of Paris (1783), and anniversaries of the Founding Fathers such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and John Adams. The society’s formative projects intersected with state initiatives involving the Maryland State Archives, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and restoration efforts at sites associated with Lord Baltimore, Anne Arundel County, and St. Mary's City (Maryland). Over decades the society collaborated with conservationists affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, historians at Johns Hopkins University, curators from the Peabody Institute, and architects influenced by Benjamin Henry Latrobe.

Organization and Membership

The society functions as a state chapter of the national Colonial Dames of America with governance through a board of officers including a president, vice presidents, secretaries, treasurer, and committee chairs. Membership is hereditary and requires proof of descent from an ancestor who rendered service in the colonial era similar to predecessors recognized by the Mayflower Society, the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America, and the Society of the Cincinnati. Prospective members assemble documentation using records from the National Archives and Records Administration, the Maryland State Archives, parish registers such as those of St. Anne's Church, Annapolis, and probate papers involving families like the Gerrard family, Thomas Brooke, and Exum Lewis. The society holds meetings in venues throughout Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, and the Eastern Shore (Maryland), coordinating with municipal partners such as the Baltimore City Council and the Annapolis Historic District Commission.

Preservation and Historic Properties

The society has been active in acquiring, restoring, and maintaining historic properties linked to colonial Maryland, coordinating preservation work with entities like the Maryland Historical Trust, the National Park Service, the Historic Annapolis Foundation, the Baltimore Heritage Area Association, and the Calvert County Historical Society. Examples of properties and projects include stewardship or advocacy relating to houses and sites connected to Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, William Paca, St. Clement's Island, and residences influenced by architects such as William Buckland. Collaborative restoration work has involved preservation architects trained at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and conservators from the Winterthur Museum. The society’s preservation efforts intersect with federal designations like the National Register of Historic Places and state-level protections administered through the Maryland Historical Trust.

Programs and Activities

Programs include historical research grants, educational lectures, commemorative ceremonies, and youth initiatives run in partnership with schools such as St. Mary's High School (Annapolis), colleges like St. John's College (Annapolis), and public institutions including the Enoch Pratt Free Library and the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The society organizes annual events commemorating figures and occasions tied toGeorge Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, Maryland Line (Continental Army), Protestant Reformation-era settlements, and colonial-era treaties like the Treaty of Lancaster (1744). It also produces publications distributed to research centers like the American Antiquarian Society, the New-York Historical Society, and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., collaborating with scholars affiliated with University of Maryland, College Park, Towson University, and Goucher College.

Collections and Archives

The society maintains archival collections of genealogies, correspondence, photographs, architectural drawings, and artifacts donated by families such as the Gaynor family, the Tilghman family, the Sotterley family, and the Ridgely family. Holdings are catalogued in cooperation with repositories including the Maryland State Archives, the Peabody Institute Library, the Winterthur Library, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. The archives document connections to individuals and events such as James Brice, Leonard Calvert, Philip Calvert, Edward Lloyd (Governor), and material culture associated with the Tobacco trade in Colonial America preserved alongside textile conservation projects informed by techniques used at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts.

Notable Members and Leadership

Prominent members and leaders have included preservationists, civic leaders, and historians who interacted with national figures and institutions such as Maggie L. Walker, Florence Hall, Ellen Axson Wilson, Caroline Scott Harrison, and donors whose philanthropy touched the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Peabody Conservatory, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Leadership over time engaged with state officials including governors like Thomas W. Murphy (Maryland politician) and cultural figures that collaborated with the society’s programs such as Edgar Allan Poe-related scholars, curators from the National Gallery of Art, and academic historians at Princeton University. The society’s roster has featured genealogists who referenced sources from the Colonial Records of Maryland, experts connected to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and board members who coordinated with the Maryland Historical Society and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Category:Historical societies in Maryland Category:Lineage societies Category:Organizations established in 1894