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Community
Addition OK'd for historical home
Burch House will get indoor plumbing at last
Friday, Dec. 11, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo
by EMILY BARNES
The Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco will begin a renovation project at the historic Burch House.
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The Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco got the green light Tuesday to move forward with plans to build an addition on the historical Burch House in the village that will house an archaeological laboratory.
The Charles County Board of Zoning and Appeals approved the society's request for a variance to build the addition that will be used to clean and store archaeological artifacts. The cleaning process cannot take place in the house right now because there is no indoor plumbing, said Cathy Thompson, the county's community planning program manager.
The 14-foot-by-14-foot addition that will include a rest room will cause only minimal impact to the historic home that was once owned by Washington Burch, an 18th-century African-American jailer, Thompson said. Originally, the building was used as a commercial structure.
The addition will be done by SD Lohr in Waldorf, a company that specializes in historical renovations, Thompson said.
The project is possible because of a $43,800 Maryland Heritage Area Authority grant, an agency under the Maryland Historical Trust, Thompson said, adding that the MHT has approved the project.
The society is also providing some money for the project, she said.
The addition is another step in the renovation of the house, which is one of the three 18th century structures in the village that are still standing, Thompson said. Several years ago siding on the house was repaired and the roof was replaced, she said; the total cost of the project is $87,600.
"It's good news," said Kay Volman, a member of the society. "This should have gotten started a long time ago."
James Gibb of Gibb Archaeological Consulting in Annapolis who has an active archaeological project in the village said the addition to the Burch House will make his job a whole lot easier.
"I'm pleased that the board approved it and handled it so quickly," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting in there once the addition is finished."
Hearing continued
The board of zoning and appeals decided to continue a public hearing on a request for a renewal and modification of a special exception for the Southern Maryland ATV Park in Charlotte Hall during Tuesday's meeting.
The board agreed to continue the hearing until 7 p.m. Jan. 12 because there was a mistake in the advertising in a local newspaper for the special exception.
The late James Long Jr. was advertised as the person who was requesting the renewal and modification of the special exception when it is his son, James Long, who is requesting the action, according to county planners.
