Hughesville, MD – The Executive Director and the Board of Directors of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area (Destination Southern Maryland) are pleased to announce the Maryland Heritage Area Authority Grant Awards for Southern Maryland. These awards represent the highest level of funding for the region from this program, with $431,000 awarded to significant heritage tourism projects for Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s Counties, and with an additional $133,000 awarded to Multi Heritage Area projects that include Southern Maryland. Taken together, these funds constitute a funding level of $564,000 with a project total of over $1,500,000 towards innovative tourism, excellence in cultural and natural resource conservation, and unique educational opportunities. Maryland Heritage Area grant awards within the Southern Maryland Heritage Area have been climbing steadily in the past four years with $79,543 awarded in 2017, $330,000 awarded in 2018, $331,000 awarded in 2019, and now $564,000 to the region in 2020.

Grants were awarded to:

• Town of Leonardtown – $100,000
  • “Leonardtown Wharf Paddle Boat”
• Southern Maryland Heritage Area/Destination Southern Maryland – $100,000
  • (Partnering with the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland)
  • “Fiscal Year 2021 Management Grant for the Southern Maryland Heritage Area”
• Historic St Mary’s City Foundation, Inc. – $50,000
  • “Historic St. Mary’s City Master Plan”
• Town of La Plata – $50,000
  • “Attracting Tourists to the First Bird City in Maryland”
• Patuxent River Naval Air Museum Association Inc (PRNAMA) – $47,772.00
  • “Historic Mural Restoration: Naval Aviation in Space”
• Ann’s Circle, Inc. (Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Art Center) – $40,000
  • “Treemendous Trail Phase-2: Historic Research/Interpretation and Creative/Natural Playspace Enhancement”
• St. Clement’s Island Museum – $19,000
  • “Piscataway Exhibit” 
• Historic Sotterley Inc. – $17,500
  • “Common Ground Initiative”
• Launching Educational Assistance Programs Forward Inc. – $7,500
  • “Inclusive History: Honoring the Contributions of African Americans”

Multi Heritage Area Grants were awarded to:

• Pride of Baltimore, Inc. – $50,000
  • Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties included
  • “Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Ambassador”
• Chesapeake Conservancy, Inc. – $50,000
  • Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s Counties included
  • “Enhancing the park experience through Bilingual Interpreters”
• National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States – $33,000
  • Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s Counties included
  • “Documenting Chesapeake Watershed Sites and Landscapes Important to African Americans”

“These grants represent an appreciation of the importance of Southern Maryland to the vitality and history of the state,” said executive director Lucille Walker. “During these challenging times, this program brings economic growth when it is most needed.”

To learn more about the Southern Maryland Heritage Area, please visit www.destinationsouthernmaryland.com. 

To learn more about the Maryland Heritage Area Program, please visit mht.maryland.gov/heritageareas.shtml

To read Governor Hogan’s announcement of the $5.1 million in grants awarded from the Maryland Heritage Area Program this year, please visit https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MDMDP/bulletins/2956d29?reqfrom=share