History

“It’s clearly meant to be,” exclaims Jill Moss Greenberg, the center’s executive director.

“This is the place to add herstory to history to tell ourstory.”

An outgrowth of the Maryland Women’s History Project, which began as a venture between the Maryland Commission for Women and the Maryland State Department of Education, the center provides a home for the stories of Maryland women, and includes the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame.

In the old-style BG&E headquarters at 39 W. Lexington Street, the 2,500-square-foot space, temporarily donated by David Hillman, CEO of Southern Management Corporation, houses a fascinating collection of displays.

“This museum is interesting and important for Maryland history,” says Hillman. “If you don’t know history, you don’t have a future. This is a really cool place to learn about it.”

While other women’s museums have similar elements, the MWHC is “the first to offer comprehensive presentations and to strongly highlight the ways women have contributed to the past and present as they continue to shape a better future,” says Greenberg.

David Nevins, head of Nevins and Associates and an MWHC board member, believes that the center is ideal for encouraging future generations, including his own 18-year-old daughter, to “do their own thing in the face of ongoing hurdles and hassles.

“We live in a world where men get tons of credit for stuff every single day. This special place honors the very significant contributions of the women of Maryland over the decades,” says Nevins, whose firm provides pro bono and discounted marketing to the center.

Former Maryland first lady Frances Hughes Glendening, an MWHC board member, adds, “We understand our history better and more completely, as a discipline, when we acknowledge achievements that women have made. It inspires and motivates our young women and men, who see the paths these women have taken—or had to take.”

For more information, visit www.mdwomensheritagecenter.org.