Subject
title
Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Grant Agreement with the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority for the FY 2026 Non-Capital Grant Agreement of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority Grant Program for $15,850 to Support Phase II of an Investigation of Below-grade Resources at the Avery Road Colored Cemetery and Benjamin Franklin Smith Homestead.
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Department
CPDS - Comprehensive Planning
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Mayor and Council authorize the City Manager to execute the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority Grant Program FY 2026 Non-Capital Grant Agreement (Attachment 1) between the City of Rockville and the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority to fund Phase II of an investigation of below-grade resources at the Avery Road Colored Cemetery and Benjamin Franklin Smith Homestead.
Discussion
In February 2025, the historic preservation staff of the Department of Community Planning & Development Services applied for a grant through the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA). MHAA is a state organization the operates 13 certified heritage areas throughout Maryland. Rockville is located within the Heritage Montgomery heritage area. The mission of Heritage Montgomery is to “promote local history, culture, and natural areas and fostering stewardship and connection to our heritage.”
In July 2025, staff was notified that the city has been awarded $15,850 from MHAA to continue to document below-grade resources at the Avery Road Colored Cemetery and Benjamin Franklin Homestead sites. This project will use non-destructive Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and magnetometer technology to assess the targeted area that is located within the footprint of today’s Croydon Creek Nature Center and John G. Hayes Forest Preserve, which are owned by the City of Rockville.
The Croydon Creek Nature Center and adjoining forest preserve were once part of the 500-acre Glen View Plantation, circa 1840. This plantation was owned by Judge and politician Richard Bowie and his wife Catherine. The Bowies used the labor of enslaved Black people, including Benjamin Franklin Smith, for the operation of their plantation. Up to 31 slaves were owned by the Judge and used for the clearing of forested areas, farming, and in the upkeep and operations of their family home. In 1884, and per Judge Bowie’s will, Catherine Bowie deeded lands to Benjamin Franklin Smith. On these lands, Smith developed a homestead and an adjacent family burial plot. It is noted in various histories that up to eight individuals were buried in the family plot including Benjamin’s first wife, Jane, his son, Maurice, several infants from his second marriage, as well as Benjamin himself.
The homestead and cemetery have previously been addressed in various histories developed by the City of Rockville, Peerless Rockville, and Smith family members, as well as by Montgomery County Planning’s Historic Preservation Office, and Montgomery Preservation as part of the inventory of area cemeteries. Throughout this process to document these connections, the location of the homestead is known due to extant materials such as at-grade stairs, a partial exposed foundation, and nearby architectural remnants such as concrete perimeter sill. The likely cemetery location has been identified by Phase I of the GPR survey, also funded by this grant program in FY2024. Phase II will consist of an additional survey of an expanded area to confirm and finalize the cemetery boundaries.
In total, the grant will fund four major tasks:
1) Pre-project meeting and site visit to determine the extent of the geophysical survey and identify, delineate and mark fieldstone and grave markers for preservation during clearing;
2) The clearing of any existing ground brush and large fallen trees that will require removal to prepare for survey;
3) Conducting GPR fieldwork of the cemetery;
4) Analyzing GPR findings and creating a detailed technical report.
Survey findings will assist with overall site interpretation of the homestead and cemetery sites, aid in providing exact location and number of family burial plots and assure that future improvements such as the installation of additional trail connections, signage, and markers will not negatively impact identified below-grade resources that are found as part of this effort. The interpretation of the site and its associated activities will be in an additional future phase(s) of this project.
Mayor and Council History
This is the first occurrence that the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority Grant Program’s FY2026 Non-Capital Grant Agreement has been brought before Mayor and Council for consideration.
Procurement
Completion of this work will require an archeological consultant to perform the technical ground penetrating radar and magnetometer work. CPDS staff will work with procurement staff to identify a qualified consultant once the grant agreement has been executed.
Fiscal Impact
Grant contingency will be used to provide additional expenditure authority for the grant. The grant requires a 1:1 match; the entirety of the City’s match will be provided through in-kind staff time. There are no anticipated out of pocket costs associated with this grant.
Next Steps
Once authorized by the Mayor and Council, staff will coordinate with the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, the City Manager and City Attorney to execute the grant agreement in a form substantially similar to the attached agreement and approved by the Office of the City Attorney. Staff anticipate work on this project will begin in spring 2026.