Story from Southern Maryland News. Link to the original story: https://www.somdnews.com/recorder/news/local/efforts-underway-to-make-southern-md-a-national-heritage-area/article_e4479397-8ab8-569f-b9af-265528d828da.html
Southern Maryland has a wealth of history, tradition and firsts, and Lucille Walker and her team would like to preserve that by designating the area as a National Heritage Area.
“Who are we and what are our stories and how are our stories informing our national stories?” asked Walker, the executive director of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area. “We are a foundation story, we are a first peoples story, we are an African American story and we’re also a European story. I am amazed at the survival of these peoples and their stories, and we want to crystalize that.”
Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s have been identified as the Southern Maryland Heritage Area for the last 15 years.
The National Heritage Area would comprise Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties, and possibly a sliver of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties. If granted the national designation, the area would be the second — after Baltimore — entirely within the state of Maryland.
“We’re looking at ways to attract tourists, but also preserve our area for the purple martin,” said La Plata mayor Jeannine James, referring to her town recently being designated as Maryland’s first Bird City. “And it’s a unique identity and that’s why we fight so hard for Southern Maryland. We’re a town of 10,000 growing to 25,000 and when you grow like that you lose your identity and that’s so important” to preserve, she said.
There are currently 55 National Heritage Areas in the country, one of which is Baltimore, which gained its NHA status in 2009.
“It has helped with tourism and in bringing the light to all of the firsts that people are not completely aware of,” said Shauntee Daniels, the executive director of the Baltimore National Heritage Area.
“People really do go to places to learn and to experience the culture. Baltimore has wonderful stories to tell and being a National Heritage Area has given us a platform to tell those stories,” she said.
Walker and her team — she has 22 members on the feasibility study program committee — also have the backing of Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md., 5th) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).
“It is a unique spot in this world, there’s no doubt about it,” Cardin said during a virtual meeting Sept. 18. “People want to live there and they want their families to grow up there and with the historic nature of the area, you have the best of all worlds. And you’ve got the Chesapeake Bay watershed. What else could you ask for right in the heart of Southern Maryland? It’s a unique place and a quality of life we want to preserve.”
The committee recently tried to gain traction with a pair of community conversations and a Zoom meeting in mid-September.
“People in Southern Maryland are the staples; they’re the ones that know the history and that’s what I’m fighting so hard to protect,” James said. “It’s rich with history and we lose a little but more every day … so having a national recognition where we can preserve a lot is so important. Every day we are losing those historians that are telling the stories. That is something that is so traditional and I’m interested in telling the story and making sure it is preserved, not only for my kids but for their kids and generations to come.”
The Southern Maryland Heritage Area launched its initiative to become the 56th national heritage area in the country based in part because the region has significant national and international importance.
It is here, for the first time in the Western world, that religious freedom was codified into law, and this provided the foundation for religious freedom in the Constitution of the U.S. following the passing of the “Act Concerning Religion” in 1649.
In addition, the region is where the first person of African descent ever served in a legislature in America (Mathias de Sousa, 1642), where the first woman ever petitioned for the right to vote (Margaret Brent, 1648), where African American heritage is vital to the region, where Network to Freedom sites are located, where a Slave Route Site of Remembrance has been designated, and where the first First Peoples — the Picataway Conoy tribe — is creating a new legacy.
“It’s amazing that the Piscataway survived at all, it’s amazing that the descendant populations of enslaved people are still here, it’s amazing that these concepts of religious freedom survived,” Walker said.
The heritage area is also the location of several historic trails and byways.
“You have been part of so much of the history of our nation, and yes, Maryland history,” Cardin said. “It is clear to me that [the area is] very appropriate for a National Heritage Area designation. The bottom line is this is a win-win-win situation and acts as a magnet for explaining the history of our community and our nation and the courage shown by the people of Southern Maryland and the differences they made to where we’re at today.”
It also boasts sites involved with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, World War I and World War II, the Mercury Space Missions and most recently, the designation of Mallows Bay as a National Marine Sanctuary.
“One [problem] is that we have such a large number of stories and I think stories are better when they’re not diluted,” Walker said. “You have to figure out which ones to pick because you can’t pick them all, but we can incorporate them. Some of our stories are brutal and hard and some of our stories are inspiring and make you want to soar and we have to tell the complete story and if we’re not doing that we’re not doing our job.”
In addition, Southern Maryland is where Maryland began in 1634, the 400th anniversary of which will take place in 2034.
“They have a lot of selling points and they have a lot of points of interest that interests everyone,” Daniels said. “I think their story is worth telling. I think they have a fabulous opportunity to become a National Heritage Area,” Daniels said. “Becoming a National Heritage Area will raise the national and international profile of the region and will support the growth of tourism, as well as ensure that a comprehensive narrative be explored and preserved, and that all stories are told.”
“This [area] has all the potential to be a National Heritage platform,” Walker said. “It seems like a no-brainer, to be honest.”
Twitter: @MichaelSoM
