Fourth Annual Four Rivers Heritage Awards
November, 2007

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County is pleased to announce this year's heritage awards winners.

Heritage awards recognize individuals, organizations, partnerships, and products that contribute significantly to the community by interpreting, preserving, researching or supporting our historical legacy. Four Rivers congratulates the following heritage award winners, whose achievements were celebrated at a November 7th ceremony at Historic London Town & Gardens in Edgewater.

Heritage Product Awards go to Capital City Colonials for their Annapolis Food & History Tour, which combines costumed guides, historical venues, and culinary delights. The second honoree in this category is the Highland Beach Historical Commission for a new photo exhibit, Scurlock-Beach Connections, developed in conjunction with the Smithsonian's Museum of American History, in the Frederick Douglass Museum and Cultural Center in Highland Beach.

The Heritage Initiative Award recognizes Annapolis Maritime Museum and the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society for their innovative public tours of Thomas Point Shoal Light. Lighthouse Tour Manager Tom Stalder was also acknowledged with an award for his dedication to the development of the public lighthouse tours.

Heritage Partnership Awards go to the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society and the Shady Side Elementary School for Shady Side's Got History! a year-long collaborative program and exhibit on community history at the Captain Salem Avery House.

A Heritage Partnership Award also goes to the Annapolis Maritime Museum for their leadership in coordinating the broadly collaborative Captain John Smith 400 festival in Annapolis last July. Sultana Projects, Inc., was acknowledged for vision and leadership in the development and implementation of last summer's bay-wide Captain John Smith 400 shallop voyage.

Heritage Professional awards go to two outstanding individuals this year Donna Hole for her years of service to Annapolis as the first Chief of Historic Preservation, and to Carol Treiber for her dedication to our cultural heritage as the Executive Director of the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County.

The Legacy Award for preserving a traditional craft or livelihood goes to the Chesapeake 20 Association for preserving and educating the public about the historic Chesapeake 20 sailboat, originally designed in the 1930s by Galesville's Captain Dick Hartge.

Four Rivers most prestigious honor, the Heritage Award, for significant and long-lasting contributions to local history and heritage goes to two dedicated individuals who have devoted years of time and effort to their community's heritage Galesville's Jack Smith and Roberta Cassard.

Third Annual Four Rivers Heritage Awards
November, 2006

The Heritage Interpreter of the Year award for presenting outstanding, educational and factual tours recognized David L. Smith of Capital City Colonials. Often dressed in period attire, D. L. strives for the highest standards in historical accuracy, and he has a lively personality that makes him popular with diverse audiences.

The Heritage Program award was given to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on the Rhode River for their new Educational Outreach Program, which includes a kayak and canoe trail, as well as a variety of high-quality public environmental education activities.

Best New Heritage Initiative recognized Watermark and the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation for developing the African American Heritage Tour, which engages visitors as they trace the rich history of African Americans in Annapolis.

Heritage Professional awards recognized two outstanding individuals—Patricia Blick for her leadership in coordinating the HistoryQuest project at Historic Annapolis Foundation’s St. Clair Wright Center and Janet Surrett for her creative role in building a strong community history program and museum at the Captain Salem Avery House in Shady Side.

The Legacy Award for preserving a traditional craft or livelihood was given to Pam Offer and family, for continuing local traditions in preparing and serving southern Maryland and Chesapeake Bay fare. The Offer Family crabcakes and oysters are legendary in South County.

Four Rivers’ most prestigious honor, the Heritage Award, for significant and long-lasting contributions to local history and heritage, was awarded posthumously to Leonard Blackshear, who died earlier this year from cancer. Leonard, founder of the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, was remembered for his vision, leadership, creativity, and enthusiasm. Leonard was committed to local history as a means of connecting with heritage, promoting forgiveness and healing, and enhancing economic development. Dr. Patsy Blackshear accepted the Heritage Award in her husband’s name.

Several awards were given for local historical interpretation:

Historians Glenn Campbell and Dr. Jean Russo were honored for developing the interpretive components, including the audio tour, video scripts, and exhibit content, of Historic Annapolis Foundation’s new HistoryQuest at the St. Clair Wright Center.

Banneker-Douglass Museum was acknowledged with an interpretation award for its new permanent multi-media exhibit, Deep Roots, Rising Waters, which educates visitors about Maryland’s African American history.

Local author Ginger Doyel was honored with a local history award for her books, Annapolis Vignettes and Gone to Market: the Annapolis Market House, 1698-2005.

An interpretation award was presented to the City of Annapolis for its two new historical brochures, Art in Annapolis and From Declaration to Independence.

The Galesville Heritage Society received an award for its new, self-guided brochure, Heritage Tour, of historic Galesville on the West River.

Second Annual Four Rivers Heritage Awards

Four Rivers:  The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County held its second annual awards ceremony at Historic London Town & Gardens on November 2, 2005. Four Rivers congratulates this year's heritage award winners in the following categories:

Interpreter of the Year: Historic London Town & Garden's volunteer docent Eleanor Anderson is the Heritage Interpreter of the Year for her exemplary work with the educational and living history programs at that colonial tobacco port site on the South River.

Scholarly Publication: The Interpretation Award for Scholarly Publication goes to Dr. Michael Parker for his new book, Presidents Hill: Building an Annapolis Neighborhood 1664-2005, a rich and detailed history of an Annapolis community.

Local History: The Interpretation Award in Local History goes to Galesville resident Jean Siegert Trott for her book, Galesville, Maryland: The Legend…The Legacy, a unique and colorful accounting of 350 years of people, places and events in a small maritime village.

The Interpretive Product award acknowledges Annapolis Maritime Museum and Historical Interpretation Committee Chair Dr. William Dudley for building, leading, and bringing together a collaborative team of local historians and heritage site representatives to create a new historical interpretive plan for the Annapolis Maritime Museum.

Heritage Program: The Historic Annapolis Foundation and Chamber Music Annapolis share the Heritage Program award for sponsoring the Maryland Early Music Festival in 2004 and 2005, with special recognition of Carolyn Surrick and Geoff Giffin.

Heritage Event: Annapolis Maritime Museum's Maritime Market Days, a celebration of heritage preservation, economic development and diversity takes the Heritage Event award.

Best New Heritage Initiatives: Two Heritage Initiative Awards are presented this year: Annapolis Tours & Watermark Cruises for their new Bay Lighthouses Tour, a voyage featuring three Bay lighthouses and living history interpretation by Cliff Long; and the Galesville Heritage Society for their innovative Living History program as part of  2005's South County Sundays, featuring the stories of local veterans and teachers.

Heritage Professional: Dr. Elizabeth Stewart, Research Historian at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, receives the Heritage Professional Award for exceptional dedication to Maryland’s African American heritage, outstanding contribution to the Annapolis Maritime Museum’s Historical Interpretation Committee, and constant willingness to share her knowledge and expertise with the heritage community.

Legacy Awards: The Legacy Award for preserving a traditional craft or livelihood goes to David and Ginger Hildebrand for 25 years of researching, performing, and teaching colonial music; and to South County waterman John VanAlstine for his community minded efforts to educate children about the importance and heritage of Chesapeake Bay watermen.

Heritage Award: This year's Heritage Award for significant and long lasting contributions to local history and heritage goes to renowned photographer Marion Warren, for a lifetime of work documenting and preserving the visual heritage of the Chesapeake Bay.
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First Annual Heritage Awards Winners

November, 2004

Heritage Interpreter of the Year: Nancy Reams, volunteer with Historic Annapolis Foundation, Historic London Town, the Charles Carroll House, and Hammond Harwood House.

First Person Interpretation: Janice Hayes Williams of Legacy Promotions and Scotti Preston.

Site Interpretation: Hammond Harwood House, for its new brochure.

Scholarly Publication: Dr. Jean Russo and Mark Letzer for their edited book, “The Diary of William Faris: The Daily Life of an Annapolis Silversmith.” 

Local History: Lois Nutwell for her book of historic images of Deale, “Ripple in the Wind: Down the Creek and Along the Shore in Deale, Maryland.”

Interpretive Tour: Jack Smith for his narrated boat tours of the historic West River.

Children’s Interpretation: Chesapeake Children’s Museum, Annapolis Department of Transportation and Ginger Doyel for the heritage activity booklet, “My Annapolis Adventure: Passport to Discovery.”

Educational Interpretation: Captain Salem Avery House, Discovery Village, the Shady Side Elementary School, Annapolis Maritime Museum, waterman John Van Alstine, designer Ruth Ann Thompson, and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Program for “Seasons of a Chesapeake Bay Waterman: An Activity Guide for Teachers.”

Heritage Event: Discovery Village for the Blessing of the Fleet Festival featuring the watermen of southern Anne Arundel County.

Heritage Program: Annapolis Maritime Museum for its summer long maritime concert series at the Annapolis City Dock.

Best New Heritage Initiative: Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society, the City of Annapolis, Annapolis Maritime Museum and Anne Arundel County for the Thomas Point Shoal Light Consortium that will preserve and interpret this Chesapeake Bay icon.

Heritage Professional: C. Jane Cox, Anne Arundel County cultural resources planner, for her work with Anne Arundel County’s Lost Towns Project, the Annapolis Maritime Museum, Anne Arundel County Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Thomas Point Shoal Light.

Legacy Award: Russell Steele, for his work using colonial building methods to reconstruct the Lord Mayor’s Tenement at Historic London Town & Gardens.

Heritage Awards: Paula Fishback, founder of Three Centuries Tours, and Peg Wallace, founder of the Annapolis Maritime Museum.