Historical Society Dissolves, Seeks Partners To House Collections

CATONSVILLE, MD — The Catonsville Historical Society will be disbanding and distributing its funds to area nonprofits. The society also is actively seeking partners willing to house and display historical and relevant artifacts.

"Our board has been struggling with recruiting volunteers for quite some time and COVID has further complicated our volunteer pool and ability to fundraise," the board wrote in a letter sent to its members and shared with Patch. "After much thought and careful deliberations, the board has determined that the best way to keep our mission and vision alive is to distribute the remaining assets and collections to a few local 501c nonprofit organizations. Once the distribution is complete, the board will dissolve our organization."

The founders of the 48-year-old historical society, the Townsend family, had bequeathed its home to the society as a museum to house Catonsville memorabilia. But after the house struggled through two floods, the society's board of directors decided to sell the house and use the proceeds to further its mission: "To foster community spirit through the preservation of historical artifacts and the illumination of the rich heritage of Catonsville, Maryland."

In the letter addressed to members of the Catonsville Historical Society, the board explained it has been "working extremely hard to be good stewards" of the proceeds generated by the sale of the Townsend home along with the funding raised by legacy board members. The board will reach out to select organizations and invite them to submit proposals as to how they would utilize the funds "in innovative ways that align with the mission of the society while benefiting the community and the people who live and work in Catonsville."

The society added it hopes there are Catonsville nonprofit organizations willing to serve as partners to display the society's collection of artifacts and digitize documents.

"The board is mindful of the trust that the membership has given to it. While our decision was difficult, we are confident that this is the best path to ensure that the society’s mission will be carried forward," the board members wrote.

The board of directors of the Catonsville Historical Society are:

• Sharon Rossi
• Liz Brown
• Scott Luco
• Claire Wiley
• Anne Luco
• Danae McDevitt
• Andrea Braid
• Joan Bender
• Karen Gatzke
• Kim Sparklin
• Edward Whetstone
• Tim Sparklin