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At the local level, stewardship takes many forms. Local governments adopt policies and ordinances
for historic and natural resource protections, implement state programs, and develop partnerships with private groups for additional conservation and preservation initiatives. Responding to citizen input,
local governments employ comprehensive, open space, and recreation plans to meet citizen objectives. State programs augment these efforts.
Local Planning offices have access to a variety of tools to protect natural, cultural, and historic
resources. State-enabling legislation allows local governments to plan and regulate the protection of such resources within specified parameters. The following section discusses the planning tools,
programs, and ordinances counties have employed and which tools have not been implemented yet.
The Maryland Annotated Code, Article 66B, allows a local government to establish historic preservation
ordinances, historic overlay zones, historic districts, historic district commissions, and design guidelines. In addition, a locality may adopt a preservation plan to help guide future historic preservation
initiatives. The four counties of the Upper Eastern Shore employ a variety of tools to preserve and enhance their historic resources. Much of this information may also be found in Upper Eastern Shore,
Resource Inventory and Protection Report, produced for the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy.
The Table A offers the types of planning tools each municipality may choose to employ, the type each
county has adopted, and to what effect.
Preservation Planning
Caroline County has adopted preservation planning measures, but its comprehensive plan, Caroline 2000: A Comprehensive Development Plan
for Caroline County, Maryland, 1986, (updated in 1991) is old and does not analyze the current state of its historic, natural, and cultural
resources. Nor does it address the pressures affecting these resources. The plan addresses natural resource protections insofar as it concerns
soil conservation, farmland protection and productivity, and how pollution in the tidal waters of Caroline County affects the Chesapeake Bay. In 1996, the county adopted The Caroline County Recreation and
Land Preservation Plan, enumerating many objectives and strategies for preserving waterway corridors, agricultural lands, historic resources, woodlands, and wetlands.
Using the Agricultural Land Preservation Program, Caroline County has
been noticeably effective in preserving land. As of 1993, more than 32,000 acres have been protected. Caroline County is second in the state, after Carroll County, in its success in preserving farmland.
Kent County, in its Comprehensive Plan (1996), states its goal of
preserving the cultural, historical, and archeological resources of Kent County. The plan lists several strategies by which this goal may be
achieved. While the county has not adopted a historic preservation plan or ordinance, it designated an Agricultural Zoning District in its zoning
ordinance to guide development in agricultural areas by regulating allowable construction densities per acre. The county participates in the Agricultural Land Preservation Program, and, as of 1993, more than
7,000 acres have been protected.
Chestertown adopted a preservation ordinance as a part of its zoning
ordinance in 1996. The ordinance addresses archeological sites, structures, appurtenances, and the environmental settings of structures
with historic or architectural value. A historic district and commission were created, and the powers of the commission were enumerated. In
summary, these powers include the granting or denying of permission for any construction, alteration, reconstruction, moving, or demolition of the
exterior features of any site or structure contributing to the historical significance of the district. The historic district of Chestertown is a National Historic Landmark.
Queen Anneās County has adopted limited preservation measures. The 1993 Comprehensive Plan Update for Queen Anneās County does not
address historic resources in general, but it contains a section on agricultural preservation. Within the discussions on land use, Queen Anneās County states its goal of preserving and protecting large areas of
the county for agricultural use by limiting the number of dwelling units that can be built in such areas and maintaining large areas of open space. The plan discusses cluster developments, transferable
development rights, the Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas ordinance, and the Maryland State Agricultural Preservation Program.
In 1997 and 1998, Queen Anneās County developed five growth
management plans for communities expected to bear most of the development pressures in the foreseeable future. These communities include Centreville, Chester, Grasonville, Stevensville, and Queenstown.
These plans make recommendations for land use, conservation, zoning, recreation, and transportation. Each plan serves as a comprehensive plan for each community and addresses streetscape issues, community
character, and historic resources.
According to the Comprehensive Plan, Queen Anneās County participated
in the Agricultural Preservation Program until local funding was eliminated in 1993. During its period of participation, the county approved 106
agricultural districts covering more than 18,000 acres. Easements have been purchased on 46 farms covering 8,877 acres.
Talbot County has adopted many measures to preserve its historic resources. In its Comprehensive Plan (1997), the county establishes its
intention to increase community awareness and education, foster cooperation and collaboration between local historic preservation groups, encourage adaptive reuse of historic and architecturally
significant buildings, and promote cultural events.
To this end, the county adopted the Historic District Overlay Zone
classification as part of its zoning ordinance, allowing the county to designate historic districts and establish a Historic District Commission.
The ordinance enables the county to seek expert advice on preservation issues and purchase architectural and land conservation easements. The Historic District Commission serves 18 incorporated and unincorporated
historic districts by guiding new construction, alteration, reconstruction, moving, or demolition of historic structures. In 1987, Talbot County was
approved by the State Historic Preservation Officer as a Certified Local Government (CLG). The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended in 1980, established the CLG program nationwide to provide
financial and technical assistance through the states to municipalities with qualifying historic district commissions. In addition, both Easton
and St. Michaels have adopted preservation ordinances similar to the county ordinance.
Recognizing the need to manage development in rural areas, Talbot
County established Development Design Guidelines: a policy to provide guidance in the appearance, siting, landscaping, and design of non-residential development in rural areas. These guidelines also affect
highway corridor development and signage.
Talbot County participates in the Agricultural Land Preservation Program.
To date, more than 10,000 acres of farmland have been protected.
Historical Research
Research has been conducted throughout the Upper Eastern Shore. The
Maryland Historical Trust and a variety of state and local historians have published surveys and books over the past decade highlighting historical
architecture and sites. The following discussions present the state of historical research in each county.
Caroline County
In 1980, the Maryland Historical Trust completed the Inventory of
Historic Sites in Caroline County. This inventory was expanded to include 499 historically significant sites in 1986 by the Maryland Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan. Of these, 13 resources have
been listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Maryland Register of Historic Properties. The Upper Choptank/Tuckahoe Inventory has recently been completed and is available online at the
web site of Old Harford Town Maritime Center - www.riverheritage.org.
Kent County
To date, more than 640 sites of historical significance have been
documented in Kent County. Thirty-four resources are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Maryland Register of Historic Properties. In 1981, local historians, with the help of MHT, produced Chestertown, Maryland: An Inventory of Historic Sites, documenting 85
significant structures in the county seat. Many of the countyās historic sites are described in the book Historic Houses of Kent County. Published
in 1998 through the efforts of the Historical Society of Kent County, Inc., and the Maryland Historical Trust, this book examines domestic architecture over a 200-year period. Also in cooperation with the
Maryland Historical Trust, Washington College began development of a program in regional archeology and cultural resource management in 1998. An assessment of archeological resources in Kent County is
nearing completion. Queen Anneās County will be addressed in 1999, and the program will expand into Caroline and Talbot Counties in 2000.
Queen Anneās County
Currently, Queen Anneās County is being surveyed for its historic
resources. Kent Island has been surveyed for the book Of History and Houses: A Kent Island Heritage. Published by the Kent Island Heritage
Society, Inc., in 1989, it documents 55 historic structures and sites. In all of Queen Anneās County, there are 29 resources listed in the National
Register of Historic Places and the Maryland Register of Historic Properties.
Talbot County
In 1986, the first major inventory performed in Talbot County resulted in the book, Where Land and Water Intertwine: An Architectural History of
Talbot County, Maryland. This book examined 116 of more than 600 historically significant sites in the county. Talbot County has successfully nominated 57 resources to the National Register of Historic
Places and the Maryland Register of Historic Properties. Of these, the National Register has identified four as National Historic Landmarks.
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