Mountain Lake Park Makes History
The Mountain Lake Park Historical Association, (MLPHA) is excited to announce it has become an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that allows tax-deductible contributions.
The Town's Association has existed since 1881 but wasn’t incorporated as a municipality until 1931. The most recent iteration of the Association has taken on the responsibilities of overseeing the Historic Ticket Office & Museum at 301 G Street in Mountain Lake Park, Maryland. Before receiving the nonprofit status, decades of volunteers provided Historic District tours and special programs and collected and curated the display at the Museum on behalf of the town.
The need for a nonprofit status became apparent once the Victorian Chautauqua was launched as an annual event. The town of Mountain Lake Park embraced the event, but managing the financial aspects became an added burden for the limited town staff. The festival planning committee also realized that separating public tax dollars from patron donations and grant funding would be preferable. Although the town acted as a nonprofit entity for the 2021 Victorian Chautauqua, the 501(c)(3) designation opens more doors for funding opportunities unavailable through the town.
The newly elected president, Karen Wooddell, has been at the core of MLPHA since she first became a resident. The mayor and town council always provided financial assistance to maintain the historic Ticket Office so the building would be well cared for. This included painting, utilities, landscaping needs, sidewalk repairs, and more.
Happy It’s Official
"This is a huge and important step for the association," said Karen Wooddell. "We have always relied on the town to keep things going. Now, we can make this more of a community-supported historical entity."
Wooddell pauses in her beautifully restored Mountain Lake Park home to gleefully share the official document announcing the nonprofit status.
Wooddell regularly volunteers to keep the museum collection in order, overseeing the building from inside and out. She also informs the town of any maintenance that is needed, and it shows that the oval-shaped structure is always immaculate. Wooddell is personally invested in preserving other structures in Mountain Lake Park as well. She and her late husband, Hopwood, or "Hop," as he was fondly called, also served on a committee in the early 1980s to secure the town's federally approved Historic District designation. The district straddles a road once called Arbutus Drive that was widened to become Maryland Highway. The contiguous boundary encompasses over 60 original structures dating back to the town's founding. The couple lovingly saved and restored many original cottages in the Park on their own as well. Their shared passion for historic architecture and preservation is well-known among Mountain Lake Park residents, and Wooddell Park honors Hop's devotion to the town he called home.
"The new nonprofit status just makes good sense," said Mark Stutzman, Creative Director for the Victorian Chautauqua. He worked with Wooddell to file the necessary documents for the new nonprofit status. "The town is growing its historical assets, so having a nonprofit entity to help preserve them is the responsible thing to do."
Mayor Don Sincell provided an overview of the Victorian Chautauqua weekend festival at the 2021 August town council meeting. He was pleased to report that although the town was prepared to contribute to the festival, donations and grants more than paid for everything from tents to performances. There was even some funding left over to roll into the 2022 program. Sincell accepted the role as festival director to keep the Town Council updated on how everything was progressing. Following his passion, the entire Town Council is now also involved. Sincell was far more than a figurehead and town ambassador for the festival. He did everything from setting up pop-up tents and stages to welcoming attendees and introducing performers during the weekend event. The planning committee didn't expect to reach a break-even point for five years, so achieving a balanced budget in the first year was a tremendous accomplishment.
Wooddell is joined by the MLPHA's secretary, Gerry Duket, and treasurer, Linda Fike, who also serves as a Mountain Lake Park council member. The trio was eager to get the nonprofit off the ground since there are many plans in the works to enhance historic preservation efforts in Mountain Lake Park. The first order of business will be to coordinate the working board and subcommittees to oversee everything that needs to be done. They want to build a restored network of volunteers to enable the museum hours and guided trolley tours to be more frequent.
A new MLPHA website hosts a five-part digital film series showcasing the history of Mountain Lake Park. The exhibit at the Ticket Office & Museum is also undergoing a refresher, enabling visitors to discover the history of Mountain Lake Park on their own or with the aid of a museum docent. A team of volunteers has already updated the Town Trolley tours to include more details and anecdotes of life in Mountain Lake Park near the turn of the last century. An expanded walking tour map will be available soon. These are free and displayed next to the front door of the Ticket Office. Mountain Maryland Gateway To The West also offers a free app download with a narrated town tour.
A Mayoral Endorsement
"I'm pleased MLPHA is entering this new chapter," said Mayor Don Sincell. "Once we launched the Victorian Chautauqua, it doubled the workload for our town employees during their busiest time of year. Now, the financial aspects can be managed by the same people who are planning the festival."
MLPHA will act as an umbrella nonprofit organization for the Ticket Office Museum, The Victorian Chautauqua, The Town Trolley, the historic Clay Tennis Courts, any historical programming, and future historical acquisitions. The town of Mountain Lake Park plans to continue to support MLPHA financially and to assist with the maintenance of the Ticket Office, the grounds, and the memorial statue on the property. The public is invited to donate historical items for display at The Museum. Arrangements can be made by email or regular mail.
Monetary donations are greatly appreciated and can be made online at MLPHA.org or by mail to MLPHA at 301 G Street, Mountain Lake Park, MD 21550. Membership is free and can be accessed by signing up on the new website. Donors can specify how their funds are to be used or leave it to the discretion of the MLPHA directors. Anyone interested in getting involved or becoming a volunteer can write to contact.mlpha@gmail.com or send a request to the mailing address above.
