The Southern Maryland National Heritage Area recently awarded approximately $40,000 in seed grants to support various heritage tourism initiatives across Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties. These grants aim to boost tourism and enhance community engagement by funding parks, museums, historic sites, and other cultural projects.
Lucille Walker, the executive director of the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, highlighted the importance of these grants: “We call this opportunity a Seed Grant, as from a seed, larger things can grow. We are both a state and national heritage area and hope to expand this Seed Grant opportunity throughout our national heritage area borders, which includes southern Prince George’s County, in the near future.”
This funding initiative, known as the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area Seed Grant Program, offers up to $5,000 to nonprofit organizations and local jurisdictions within the designated heritage area. The support from the counties of Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s has been pivotal in launching this program.
The announcement follows a recent distribution of over $500,000 in Maryland heritage grants for Southern Maryland by Governor Wes Moore last week, underscoring a growing focus on cultural and historical preservation and development in the region.
For 2024, the Grant Panel has chosen ten organizations and programs to receive these awards. The recipients include:
- Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum: Received $4,000 for developing interpretive and educational material for the Patterson Gardens.
- American Chestnut Land Trust: Awarded $3,700 for interpretive panels for the Parkers Creek Heritage Trail.
- Calvert Marine Museum: Granted $5,000 for the project “Out of the Vault.”
- Farm Heritage Conservancy: Received $5,000 for “Southern Maryland Quilts: A Southern Maryland Tourist Attraction.”
- The Historic McConchie One-Room School: Funded with $5,000 for producing two documentaries on the history and legacy of the historic one-room school at the Charles County Fairgrounds.
- Ivy and Pearls of Southern Maryland Community Charities, Inc.: $5,000 for a Juneteenth Cultural Heritage Day celebration.
- Friends of the St. Clement’s Island and Piney Point Museums: Provided $2,165 to preserve St. Mary’s County’s traditional wood boat building tools.
- Historic Sotterley, Inc.: Received $5,000 for visitor brochures.
- Historic St. Mary’s City: Awarded $2,200 for building a website for the Chancellor’s Point Project.
- Southern MD Equity in History Coalition / Middleham & St. Peters Parish: Granted $2,000 for accessing the diverse history of Southern Maryland.
These projects are designed to attract more tourists to the region, thus enriching the local culture and economy by promoting Southern Maryland’s rich heritage and history.
