The taxpayers of Maryland recently provided $106,000 in grants to Historic Sotterley, Inc. Sotterley Plantation, a National Historic Landmark in St. Mary's County in the Southern Maryland Heritage Area, comprises more than 20 original buildings spanning its 300-year evolution.
A grant of $100,000 for "plantation improvements" is being provided by the African American Heritage Preservation Program (AAHPP), a partnership of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) and the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT).
The published goal of the AAHPP is to identify and preserve buildings, communities and sites of historical and cultural importance to the African American experience in Maryland. The program offers assistance to non-profit organizations, local jurisdictions, business entities, and private citizens in their sponsorship of successful acquisition, construction, or improvement of African American heritage projects.
A grant of $6,000 was awarded by the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) to develop and install interpretive exhibits at the Sotterley slave cabin, one of the best preserved original cabins in the mid-Atlantic region. The circa-1830 cabin tells the history and story of Sotterley's enslaved, then emancipated people.
MHT is a state agency dedicated to preserving and interpreting the legacy of Maryland's past. Through research, conservation and education, the Trust assists the people of Maryland in understanding their historical and cultural heritage. The Trust is a division of the Maryland Department of Planning and serves as Maryland's State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
Historic Sotterley, Inc. had a gross revenue of $866,120 in Fiscal Year 2011 (July 2011 through June 2012) and total assets of $3,444,520, according to the organization's 2011 IRS Form 990. Nancy Easterling, the executive director, was the highest paid employee with a salary of $45,000.