Hughesville, MD – On July 14, the Hogan Administration announced $402,100 in grants to the Southern Maryland Heritage Area, with $5 million awarded statewide. The Executive Director and the Board of Directors of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area (Destination Southern Maryland) are pleased that these grants reflect substantial growth in the heritage area and the heritage area’s historical significance on a state and national level. Nine organizations received grants for their projects that preserve and enhance the heritage of the region, providing innovative tourism and educational experiences.
Farm Heritage Conservancy – $40,000
- Preparing for the Smithsonian Institution’s “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” Tour
Greenwell Foundation, Inc. – $50,000
- Upgrading Greenwell Foundation’s Historic Equestrian Barn
Historic Sotterley, Inc. – $40,100
- Restoration of Sotterley’s Agricultural Buildings
Maryland Veterans Memorial Museum, Inc. at Charles County – $10,000
- The Untold Story of Patriots in the Revolutionary War
Piscataway Conoy Tribe of Maryland, Inc. – $45,000
- Piscataway Conoy Tribe – Indigenous Peoples Festival
The Historical Society of Charles County, Inc. – $25,000
- Restoring Rich Hill for Tourism in the 21st Century
Town of Leonardtown – $75,000
- L’Town Alley Network Project – Phase Two
Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland – $100,000
- FY 2023 Management Grant
Working Out Wonders Foundation, Inc. – $17,000
- Carroll Farmhouse and Cemetery Preservation Project
107 total projects were awarded grants by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority. These grants that support heritage tourism in Maryland encourage economic development and create tourism-related jobs throughout the state.
Destination Southern Maryland is the public face of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area. This state-based heritage area is one of the 13 Heritage Areas in Maryland and was founded in 2003. This organization represents Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties. Destination Southern Maryland is the heritage tourism entity for Southern Maryland with a mission to enhance the region through innovative heritage tourism experiences, comprehensive cultural and natural resource conservation, and excellence in educational opportunities. This organization assists Southern Maryland with economic development and works directly with the tourism entities in each of the three counties, as well as providing grants, building partnerships, and promoting regional identity. To learn more about Destination Southern Maryland, visit our website.
Governor Hogan’s original press release:
(July 14, 2022) CROWNSVILLE, MD – The Hogan administration announced today that 107 matching grants totaling $5.1 million were awarded to Maryland nonprofits, local jurisdictions, and other heritage tourism organizations by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA). Grant funds support heritage tourism projects and activities that attract visitors and expand economic development and tourism-related job creation throughout Maryland.
“Heritage tourism is an economic development tool that creates jobs and brings visitors to the state while making our communities better places to live and work,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Our administration is proud that this funding will allow for 107 projects to move forward and congratulate Maryland’s Heritage Areas and their tourism partners for their support in changing Maryland for the better.”
Organizations receiving grant awards include museums, parks, educational organizations, and other entities that steward and celebrate the unique cultural and natural resources located within one of Maryland’s Heritage Areas.
MHAA oversees Maryland’s system of 13 locally-administered, certified Heritage Areas. Today, all Maryland counties and Baltimore City have at least part of a state-certified Heritage Area within their boundaries. Heritage Areas foster broad public-private partnerships to preserve and enhance the best of Maryland’s historic sites and towns, unspoiled natural landscapes, and enduring traditions. These tangible links to both place and past remind residents that they have a special piece of the American story to treasure and share with others and that, in doing so, are contributing to the economic well-being of Maryland’s communities.
Maryland’s Heritage Areas contribute to Maryland’s economy by preserving and enhancing the places that attract cultural and heritage tourists – people who focus their travels on historic sites, museums, cultural activities, or the natural beauty of Maryland’s Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay coastal areas and unspoiled scenery of Maryland’s mountains. The Maryland Heritage Areas Program provides $2.4 billion in annual economic impact and MHAA grants generate $319.8 million in state and local taxes and supports 33,815 full- and part-time jobs annually. A full economic impact study can be found here: mht.maryland.gov/heritageareas_impact.shtml.
MHAA is an independent unit of government chaired by the Secretary of Planning and administered by the Maryland Historical Trust, a division of the Maryland Department of Planning. Since its creation in 1996, MHAA has awarded more than $57 million dollars in grants and helped leverage more than $1.63 billion in non-state funding for heritage tourism projects and activities in Maryland’s 13 Certified Heritage Areas.
To learn more about the Maryland Heritage Areas Program and the state’s certified Heritage Areas, please visit mht.maryland.gov/heritageareas.shtml.
