Sandy Spring Museum was founded in October of 1980, 45 years ago! Since our founding, the museum has been dedicated to preserving our community's history and celebrating its members, through programs, exhibits, and archives. Nearly half a century later, Sandy Spring Museum continues to serve the community as the Regional Folklife Center of Montgomery County. Unfortunately, while collections and programming continue to grow, grant funding has dwindled. We need your support more than ever.

This October, in honor of Founders' Day, we are holding our inaugural Day of Giving. This is an opportunity to support all that Sandy Spring Museum stands for and help shepherd the museum through these challenging times. Proceeds from the Day of Giving will go towards the continuation of beloved community programs like the Strawberry Festival, History Happy Hour and Bluegrass Jam in addition to supporting programs hosted by cultural heritage practitioners. Funds will also be used to continue investing in the archives, as we work to preserve the storied history of Sandy Spring.

Make your donation during today only and unlock one of the following incentives!

$10 - Sandy Spring Museum Sticker
$30 - $5 Gift Shop Voucher
$60 - $10 Holiday Craft Show Voucher
$100 - Free Program Voucher
$500 - History Happy Hour VIP Table (up to 4 people)

What's going on in the Archives?

Sandy Spring Museum has spent nearly five decades dedicated to the preservation of local history. This dedication continues today with our two largest projects: Equity in Metadata and archiving over 100 years of history of Sandy Spring Bank, which donated its entire archives to the museum several months ago. Equity in Metadata is an ongoing effort to both expand our collections and leverage the existing collections with a specific focus on telling the stories often left out of the history books – stories about people who were formerly enslaved and the rich communities they built post Emancipation.

The merging of Sandy Spring Bank into Atlantic Union has doubtless left many local residents feeling concerned about the loss of such a long-standing institution. Fortunately, the museum has been given the privilege to memorialize the history of the bank through the preservation of its books and ledgers. The initial work we have done in this effort has revealed information about the web of connections spread throughout Sandy Spring's history, both social and financial, including never before seen details about the town's historic black communities, and we can't wait to begin sharing those insights with you.

Grant funding is under threat.

It should come as no surprise that the recent cuts to federal arts, library and museum grant programs have had an outsized impact on local organizations like Sandy Spring Museum. We rely on grant funding to put on some of our most exciting events throughout the year. Not the least of these is the annual Strawberry Festival.

However, the community of Sandy Spring has never been one to take opposition lying down! Now more than ever, we need support from people like you, who truly appreciate cultural heritage. It is thanks to your support that we can continue serving the community we love. If you have the means, and you value what we do, we ask that you please make a donation to the museum so that we can continue to celebrate and uplift Sandy Spring for generations to come.

Leave a comment and let us know what you love about Sandy Spring Museum!

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