National Park Service

Description

The NPS, National Capital Region’s National Historic Landmarks Program (NCR-NHL) wishes to nominate the former church and school known as Tolson’s Chapel or the American Union School as a National Historic Landmark. Located in Sharpsburg, Washington County, Maryland near Antietam National Battlefield, Tolson’s Chapel is a one-room church that served as a Freedman’s Bureau School from 1868 to 1870 and as a local African American Methodist church from the time it was constructed in 1865-66 until 1998. The modest, but highly intact building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The 2008 nomination requires revisions to allow for adequate context to evaluate the property’s significance within a national context. The NHL nomination for Tolson’s Chapel will document the physical characteristics of the building through an architectural description and inventory of resources on the property, including landscape features and characteristics. The nomination will include a general property development history, and will develop scholarly arguments for why the property possesses exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. The property will be placed in context with the recently completed “Era of Reconstruction, 1861-1900: A National Historic Landmark Theme Study” (Downs and Masur, forthcoming). The nomination will provide historic context adequate to make a clear, convincing, and concise argument for national significance in one or more areas of significance (expected NHL Criterion 1 [history]. The focus of the nomination should be on the significance statements, not on creating a complete narrative of the building’s design and construction. The research and evaluation should be adequate to identify events or activities of clear significance to national history. It is expected that, in cooperation with the NPS and the stewards of Tolson’s Chapel, Friends of Tolson’s Chapel, OAH and its researcher will identify and consult with scholars with relevant expertise in order to gain perspective and consensus on the historical significance of the property.

Who can apply

• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)

Contact

LaQuita Palmer <br/>Grants Management Specialist <br/>Phone 202-619-7082
laquita_palmer@nps.gov