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 About the Trust
The Maryland Historical Trust was formed in 1961 to assist the people of Maryland in identifying, studying, evaluating, preserving, protecting, and interpreting the state's significant prehistoric and historic districts, sites, structures, cultural landscapes, heritage areas, cultural objects, and artifacts, as well as less tangible human and community traditions. The Trust is the principal operating unit within the Division of Historical and Cultural Programs, which is an agency of the Maryland Department of Planning. The Board of Trustees of the Trust is composed of 15 members (12 of which are appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms, as well as the Governor, the Senate President, and the Speaker of the House of Delegates, or their designees). Maryland's State Historic Preservation Officer, appointed by the Governor pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, is a member of the Trust staff. As of this writing, the Trust and the Division employ 78 individuals at the central offices in Crownsville and at two satellite museum facilities.
 The John Shaw House, depicted in the Maryland Historical Trust logo, served as the Trust's headquarters from 1975 until 1991. The gambrel-roofed building—located at 21 State Circle in Annapolis—was constructed in the years between 1720 and 1725 for butcher Cornelius Brooksby. That modest structure consisted of a two room plan set upon a raised basement. In 1784, established cabinetmaker John Shaw purchased the property, and enlarged the dwelling to include three rooms on each story. The wood frame Georgian house, which remained in the Shaw family for 123 years, is the oldest structure extant on State Circle. Today, the Shaw House stands as a seven-bay-long, one-and-a-half-story gambrel-roofed building featuring a distinctive widow's walk and a full-width front porch. It is owned by the State of Maryland and currently houses offices for some of the governor's staff.
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Last updated: September 30, 2005
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