3 Maryland Counties Are Working Toward a Civil War Heritage Area

By Deborah Fitts

Feb/Mar 2006

FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. — With eyes fixed on “the Holy Grail” of tourism, three counties and two dozen cities and towns in central and western Maryland are forming the “Heart of the Civil War” Heritage Area.

When certified by the state next summer, it will comprise the 13th heritage area in Maryland. The designation will make local jurisdictions eligible for a variety of grants to boost tourism and historic preservation.

“We’re a hot area for Civil War travelers,” declared Janet Davis. As the Frederick County historic preservation planner, she has helped spearhead the lengthy process and sits on a steering committee. The heritage area would include parts of Carroll, Washington and Frederick counties, which are host to the battlefields of Antietam, Monocacy and South Mountain.

“And we’re between Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry,” Davis pointed out. “We’re at the heart of the storm here.”

Once the area is certified, Davis said grants will be available to local governments, organizations, businesses and individuals for marketing materials, preservation projects and even new construction — “anything that promotes economic development and heritage tourism.” She predicted that an initial project will be marketing in anticipation of the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Civil War, including brochures, Web site development and road signage. The heritage area will have a one-person paid staff.

According to Davis, a study has shown that the new heritage area has the potential to attract an additional 66,500 visitors to the three-county area each year, who would spend a total of $9 million annually during their stay.

The multi-step process to create the heritage area actually got under way several years ago but faltered over the extensive scope of the area and its history, and a complicated approval process. A 211-page planning document had to be circulated to all 29 local governments for endorsement, which included public hearings regarding how each jurisdiction would need to amend its comprehensive plan.

Once that is completed, Davis said, the steering committee will apply to the board of the Maryland Heritage Area Authority, which will likely review the application in May. Once certification is agreed to, the jurisdictions then must actually amend their comprehensive plans. Davis predicted final approvals next summer.

Enthusiasm for the heritage area program is partly due to the fact that it does not require local governments, organizations or individuals to apply for historic designation or make any other improvements, Davis said. It is up to each to decide whether to pursue grant funding.

Also, Davis pointed out, schools and roads typically demand the lion’s share of local funding, and tourism and historic preservation “are often shouldered aside. This moves it closer to the front burner.”

“We think heritage tourism is like the Holy Grail around here,” Davis added. “We have so much to offer.”

The planning document for the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area notes that, thanks to a preservation ethic in the three-county area, “this region … possesses a degree of landscape integrity that is exceptional among Civil War sites around the country.” The setting is “largely rural and relatively intact” and many small towns have “a high degree of historic integrity,” giving residents and visitors alike “a distinct sense of place.”

An interpretive plan will provide “an overarching story, themes and guidance about development of engaging and popular exhibits, displays, films, walking tours, performances and special events,” the planning document states. It will also encourage stewardship of historic sites and a greater appreciation of “sacred historical places, scenic landscapes and historic town centers.”

The document is available on the Web at www.heartofthecivilwar.org.