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Mission Statement
Conserve, steward, and advocate for the unique rural landscape of the Eastern Shore.

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The Eastern Shore Conservation Center

By Bill Thompson Editor’s note: The building known as Brick Row neighbors the former McCord building in Easton. Fire damaged Brick Row in 2012, and former owner Helaine White donated the building to Eastern Shore Land Conservancy late that year. The handsome yet unimposing brick structure at 130 South Washington Street in Easton, next door to the McCord building, has been known by several informal names. Lately, it is referred to as the “White Building” in honor of Helaine L. White, a longtime Talbot County Realtor who transferred the property to the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy in a deed dated December 28, 2012. For brief periods it was called “Lawyers Row” and, in the late 1800s, “Barrow’s Row” after the maiden name of Mary A. Hughes, who owned the building with husband William H. Hughes. But for most of its early life—it was erected in 1850 and possibly earlier—"Brick Row" was how local residents knew it and listed it in land records. The word “row” is significant in that what clearly today is a single two-story, multiple-unit structure with a shared façade may have been originally four separate buildings. In fact, a 1904 deed recording the sale of the property describes the premises as “four two story brick dwellings,” not one brick structure with four units. Whether the original Brick Row was one or multiple buildings, it is believed that it may have been designed as low-cost “factory dwellings,” according to a 1967 Maryland Historical Trust historic site report. That same report describes the building architecture as “a late Federal design” with “a gently pitched A-roof.” The report continues: “There are 4 entryways and each house is 3 bays wide. In the center of the row is an areaway with a rounded brick arch. This areaway permits access to the rear of the property. The windows are

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Giant Clothing Sale at former McCord building

GIANT CLOTHING SALE! EASTERN SHORE CONSERVATION CENTER Clear Out the Cleaners As Long As the Clothes Last… Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 28, 29 &30 9 AM to 4 PM The former McCord Laundry building 120 S. Washington St., Easton $5 a Bag (Bags Provided - fill as full as you can) Women’s and Men’s Clothing and Household Items

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Curious about the Eastern Shore Conservation Center?

As we get closer to settlement on the McCord building in Easton, we are offering several opportunities to see the building this week. Come out and see the building, and don't forget to participate in our Peeps Contest! Community Meeting about the Eastern Shore Conservation Center at the Talbot County Free Library 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21 Open House at the McCord building in Easton 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, March 22 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 23, at McCord (with doughnuts and coffee!) Participating in the Peeps contest? See official rules here. Drop off Peeps entries Thursday evening or Friday, or between 9 and 10 a.m. Saturday 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, March 23, at the former McCord building in Easton, just before judging Judging will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 23, at the former McCord building. Winners will be announced at 11 a.m. Schematic designs for the Eastern Shore Conservation Center will be on display.

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A Critical Time for the Eastern Shore Conservation Center

This morning we raised the mercury on the thermometer at the McCord building in Easton, and the heat is on.With $4.175 million in the fund, we are about two-thirds of the way to our goal of $6.3 million. And we have limited time to raise these funds. We go to settlement on the McCord building in April, and although the neighboring building, "Brick Row," was donated to Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, we still need to renovate it. These two buildings have the potential to change the future for this part of Easton. With the Memorial Hospital at Easton slated to move in the next several years, what will become of the South Washington Street corridor? Our vision is for an Eastern Shore Conservation Center, a green campus that will serve as Eastern Shore Land Conservancy's headquarters, as well as a home for many other conservation organizations working on the Eastern Shore. The Nature Conservancy already has signed on to open an office at the ESCC, and we expect soon to announce it as the Eastern Shore home of other organizations, as well. It could have a cafe or other commercial businesses, a courtyard, community meeting space, and desk space for telecommuters. Now is the time. For the next several weeks, we will be working hard to raise enough money to purchase McCord and renovate both buildings to start a renaissance on South Washington Street. This a piece of Eastern Shore history, a landmark that can be an important part of the future of the Eastern Shore. Donate now or download a donor form (at bottom of this update). Tell your friends. Share the news on Facebook or Twitter. Forward this email. Grab a neighbor and come to the community meeting March 21 at the Easton library; tour the building on the 22nd; and come for the 2013

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Eastern Shore Conservation Center

Learning and Growing in Conservation   The Eastern Shore Conservation Center (ESCC) will transform an abandoned historic building and a neighboring fire-damaged historic building in Easton, Maryland, into a thriving hub of learning and collaboration for regional nonprofits. This green campus not only will be home to community-based and conservation nonprofits; it will be a place for community members to gather for classes and meetings, with open areas and conference rooms open for public use. Inspired by Millers Court and Union Mill in Baltimore, as well as other successful nonprofit projects, the Eastern Shore Conservation Center will create a working home and laboratory by cooperative effort of Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and partner organizations and businesses concerned with land conservation, land use, environmental stewardship and education for children, adults, and professionals on the Delmarva Peninsula. The historic McCord Laundry Building and Brick Row are part of Easton’s National Register Historic District. Though currently abandoned, they are beautiful examples of early 20th Century commercial architecture. The project is designed to have a catalytic effect on the South Washington Street corridor, where the renovation of these dilapidated buildings has the ability to reenergize an important connection between the northern and southern neighborhoods in Easton. What is now vacant and lifeless will be a vibrant hub of community, conservation and learning. It will bring approximately 50 jobs to downtown Easton and will serve as an example for conservationists, urban planning, community design and redevelopment experts of what can be done to retain healthy, walkable and economically sustainable rural towns. ESLC will relocate to the building, and nonprofit partners, including the Town Creek Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, are signing seven-year leases to be part of this collaborative environment. It will house public space for educational programming, forums, concerts and meetings about issues concerning Eastern Shore residents and organizations. It

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Recent Posts

  • Roots Monthly Giving Spotlight: Amanda Thornley
  • Big Changes on the Horizon for the CREP Easement Program
  • Trails Get a Boost Across the Shore
  • Seven Legislative Efforts That Could Impact Eastern Shore Land Use and Preservation
  • Land Protection for All
  • Board Spotlight: Jules Hendrix
  • New Regional Trail Map Shows Existing and Potential Trails for a Growing Network
  • Saving Maryland’s Tidal Salt Marshes
  • From the President: The Eastern Shore’s Most Urgent Conservation Need in 2024
  • Review: ESLC Forests and Forestry Workshop
  • Volunteer Spotlight: Roger Bollman
  • Where the Wood Drake Rests: Wetland Restoration & Conservation on the Eastern Shore
  • ESLC Partners with Urban 3 to Study Eastern Shore Land Use
  • 106 Acres Protected Forever in Quaker Neck, Kent County
  • An Autumn Stroll at Bohemia River State Park