The State of Maryland has a Heritage Area Program that recognizes areas of special and unique heritage and makes available grant funding to local governments and non-profit organizations to help with capital improvement projects related to heritage tourism and visitor assistance and interpretation projects. In order to participate, every jurisdiction within a State certified heritage area must include language in their local comprehensive plans in support of the recommendations in the management plan for their heritage area. Portions of Washington County, Frederick County, and Carroll County were certified in 2006 as a State heritage area by the Maryland Heritage Area Authority, because of our rich Civil War heritage. This heritage area is called Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area. Non-profit heritage tourism organizations and local governments in our heritage area may apply to the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Advisory Committee for mini-grants to assist Civil War related non-capital projects. To learn more about the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area and the mini-grant program and to review the management plan for the heritage area, go to www.heartofthecivilwar.org.

The Washington County chair on the three county Advisory Committee is Tom Riford of the Hagerstown/Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Other Washington County representatives on the Advisory Committee are Stephen R. Bockmiller of the City of Hagerstown Planning Department, Steve Goodrich of the Washington County Planning Department, John Bryan of Hager House and Steam Engine 202, John Howard of Antietam National Battlefield, and Dennis Frye of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

Hagerstown is included within the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area and a portion of our City Center has been designated as a target investment zone for State heritage grants. Since 2006, the City of Hagerstown has received $191,500 in State heritage funds for six projects related to heritage tourism. To learn more, click here to view a powerpoint presentation (28MB.)