As part of Preservation Month (May 2024), the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) has recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site. The award will be presented on Friday, May 31, at 3:00 pm, at Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park at 862 Galesville Road, Galesville, MD. It will also be live-streamed on Facebook by the Maryland Historical Trust. The celebration event will also honor the legacy of Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell with the sign dedication of ‘Gertrude’s Way,’ which connects the Galesville community with Wilson Park. In addition, interpretive signs for Wilson Park will be unveiled detailing the history of the Wilson Family and Galesville Hot Sox.
Jessica Leys, the Director of Recreation and Parks, says, “The Department of Recreation and Parks is thrilled to receive this recognition by the Maryland Historical Trust for Hot Sox Field and honored to pay tribute to Gertrude Makell, who was a driving force for this and other projects in the Galesville community. And our work at Wilson Park has more to come, with the restoration of the Wilson House coming in 2025.”
Speakers include:
Elizabeth Hughes, Executive Director, Maryland Historical Trust
Jessica Leys, Anne Arundel County, Director of Recreation and Parks
Steuart Pittman, Anne Arundel County Executive
Sarah Elfreth, Maryland State Senator
Roger Marshall, Sr., President, Galesville Community Center Organization
Randy Hughes, Vice President, WBCM – a Division of TranSystems
Karen Henry, Anne Arundel County, Director of Public Works
Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park celebrates the significant contribution of Henry Wilson – a freed, formerly enslaved man – and his family. His property served as the foundation of Negro League Baseball in the area, including serving as the home field for the renowned Galesville Hot Sox from the early to mid-20th century. The space became not only a place to play baseball but also somewhere to gather during the segregation era. Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks, alongside the Galesville Community Center Organization, Galesville Heritage Society, and West River Improvement Association, led the effort to restore this historic space and preserve the Wilson family’s legacy.
Gertrude Makell, a longtime community leader and advocate, was an active member of several committees and advisory boards dedicated to preserving the heritage of her community and the county. As president of the Galesville Community Center Organization, she championed rehabilitating the historic Wilson Ford property and helping Recreation and Parks upgrade the grounds into a public park. Recreation and Parks will unveil a commemorative park sign to honor and remember her extraordinary achievements and unwavering commitment to making the county the best place for all.