Union Mills Homestead Names New Executive Director

The Union Mills Homestead Foundation, Inc. is pleased to announce that Kyle P. Dalton has been named executive director of the Union Mills Homestead. Dalton starts work in his new position on March 27, 2023.

Dalton has served as Membership and Development Coordinator at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine since April 2019 and served as Public Programs Administrator at Historic London Town and Gardens before that. He has over nineteen years of experience working in a variety of museums.

“Kyle is the exceptional leader we sought for the Union Mills Homestead,” said Sam Riley, president of the Homestead Foundation’s board. “He has extensive museum experience, a real passion for the work, and strong sense of both historical interpretation and organizational advancement that will take us to the next level.”

The Homestead Foundation preserves and shares authentic stories of determination and innovation of the Shriver family at Union Mills, illustrating the entrepreneurial spirit of American families. As executive director, Dalton will be responsible for advancing the Homestead Foundation’s mission through its museum operations, educational programs, and community events. He also will be charged with creating partnerships and relationships with the community. His duties include staff and operational management, strategic planning, and development, in addition to managing the historic site.

“I am thrilled to join the passionate volunteers and staff at the Union Mills Homestead during this exciting time,” Dalton said. “The site’s authentic historical assets and fascinating story have us uniquely positioned to grow in the coming years, and I am happy to be a part of it.”

Dating to 1797, the Union Mills Homestead is a nationally significant historic landmark seven miles north of Westminster, Maryland. The site was the homestead of the Shriver family for six generations. Now a museum of American rural culture, the site inspires Americans to embrace innovation and change. The museum is known for its working grist mill and extensive original artifacts; everything is much the same as when the Shriver family lived there. Dalton will lead the Homestead Foundation as it implements a new strategic plan to better tell the site’s history.