08/31/2026
An open letter to our supporters, but especially to the park and the DNR:
For the past year, we have been battling with the State and DNR—not because we want conflict, but because we believe deeply in protecting the historic place, the organization, and the work so many people have poured their time, energy, and resources into.
What is rarely talked about is what a year of fighting does to the people on the other side of it.
It demoralizes you.
It drains your energy. It takes time and attention away from the actual work you came to do. And, slowly, it can create a lack of motivation—not because you care less, but because you become exhausted from constantly having to defend what you have already worked so hard to build.
Nonprofit work is fueled by passion, volunteerism, generosity, and a belief that what we are doing matters. When that energy is continually met with obstacles, uncertainty, and the feeling that you have to fight your own government just to keep moving forward, it takes a real emotional toll.
After a year of this, I think it is important to acknowledge that toll.
We are still here. We still believe in the mission. But people cannot be expected to give endlessly from an empty well.
Sometimes the greatest damage of a prolonged battle isn’t financial or administrative. It is what it does to the spirit of the people who are trying to serve the public and preserve something that belongs to all of us.
Rebecca Weber
From the desk of Councilman David Marks:
“For more than 40 years, volunteers have supported the restoration and improvement of Historic Jerusalem Mill Village.
In 1961, the State of Maryland acquired the remnants of the mill and village as part of Gunpowder Falls State Park, but left the structures vacant and abandoned until a group of volunteers formed the Friends of Jerusalem Mill in 1985 to restore the site. Thanks to their hard work, a visitor center and museum were dedicated in 1995. The blacksmith shop, gun shop, miller’s house, spring house, smokehouse, and general store have been preserved and restored.
Today. Historic Jerusalem Mill Village is one of the best-preserved historic sites in Maryland. It is a terrific example of what happens when volunteers work with the state and local governments to preserve our heritage.
Countless residents have enjoyed the events held throughout the year at the village, including the summer concerts now underway at the Meadow in the village.
Now, unfortunately, the concerts are endangered and the organization's work is imperiled - thanks to demands from the state government.
In 2019, Friends of Jerusalem Mill signed a 20-year exclusive use lease with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources that allows the Friends to operate the Mill and Village. Just four years into the 20-year lease, DNR, began demanding that the Friends sign an affiliation agreement.
This agreement would have cancelled the Friends' 20-year exclusive-use lease and require Friends to preemptively agree to all future DNR policy changes without knowledge of what they may be. It would terminate the Friends' authority to sublease property in the village, which accounts for approximately $21,000 per year of income towards preservation efforts; and require the Friends to terminate onsite, after-hours security and caretaker presence for the Village, which would reduce event income by $10,000 to $20,000 per year.
While the state seems to have modified its position somewhat, I believe the Friends have a unique history of success and that the current arrangement should be largely respected.
I have introduced a resolution that would encourage the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to seriously and candidly engage with the Friends of Jerusalem Mill over the current lease agreement and the future preservation and management of the Mill and the Village.
Harford County Government and County Executive Bob Cassilly, Senator J.B. Jennings and Delegates Ryan Nawrocki and Kathy Szeliga have been very active in trying to resolve the situation, as has the Greater Kingsville Civic Association.
I'm asking all residents who care about the future of this site to contact the County Council in support of the resolution. “That email is [email protected].
