Maryland Heritage Areas

Anacostia Trails Heritage Area

Prince George's County

The Anacostia Trails Heritage Area contains intact and relatively unspoiled Historic Sites that can be used to tell a multitude of stories about the most significant aspects of transportation and communication advances that transformed the American landscape. Since settlement of this area at the end of the 17th century, each successive century has seen the original development, or completion of a different mode of transportation or method of communication that has affected not only the local landscape but the national character as well.

Baltimore City Heritage Area

The Baltimore City Heritage Area is the only major urban Heritage Area in the State of Maryland. As the state's largest city this is fitting, and reflects the important role that the city has played in the state and the nation's industrial, architectural, and social history. The excellent harbor of the Patapsco River helped make Baltimore a world-class port. It supported the city's population of sailors, dock workers, and merchants, but it also served as the primary market and shipping point for agricultural products and manufactured goods from the Eastern Shore and the western counties.

Canal Place Heritage Area

Cumberland, Allegany County

The Canal Place Heritage Area has three major components: the historic and recreational feature of the C&O Canal National Historic Park, the river-related lands along the Potomac River, and the architectural resources of Cumberland's downtown and the west side. The Canal Place Heritage Area is managed by the Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority, a state agency. The Authority is charged with the preservation, development and management of the Heritage Area.

Four Rivers Heritage Area

Anne Arundel County

More than three centuries of history, cultural development, and economic enterprise can be traced through the many and diverse sites within Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County. Four Rivers describes both the environment fashioned by the Severn, South, Rhode, and West Rivers, and the cultural landscape that has been created over time. Exemplifying Maryland’s rich historic, cultural and natural legacy, Four Rivers encompasses a wealth of resources of local, state, national, and international significance.

Heart of Chesapeake Country Heritage Area

Dorchester County

At the heart of the Eastern Shore culture and landscape, the Heart of Chesapeake Country Heritage Area in Dorchester County offers unsurpassed opportunities to experience a most beautiful and unique part of Maryland and the nation. With its pristine rivers and marshlands, working boats and waterfronts, and quaint towns and villages among productive agricultural fields, Dorchester is an archetype of the Eastern Shore landscape and way of life.

Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area

Carroll, Frederick, and Washington Counties

Frederick, Washington and Carroll Counties played a critical role in the Civil War since the beginning. From the invasion routes over which Robert E. Lee twice led his Army of Northern Virginia into the North, to Antietam and the single bloodiest day of the conflict, to the events leading to Gettysburg, the “high water mark” of the Confederacy, to Monocacy, the “battle that saved Washington,” and to the field stations and hospitals that dotted the region for much of the war, Maryland's Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area encompasses events, landscapes, sites, and structures of immense national significance and emotional power.

Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Area

Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties

Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore is a rural region with a wealth of historic, cultural and natural resources that distinguish it from other places in the state and country. Somerset, Worcester and Wicomico counties encompass a vast region stretching from the shorelines of Tangier Sound and Chesapeake Bay to the washed beaches of the seaboard coast. Located between the State of Delaware on the north and the State of Virginia to the south, the tri-county region is a portion of what is known as the Delmarva Peninsula.

Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway

Cecil and Harford Counties

The Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway Heritage Area encompasses nearly 45,000 acres in Cecil and Harford Counties. It is over 12 miles in length, extending from just north of the Conowingo Dam to the head of the Chesapeake Bay along both sides of the Susquehanna River. It is an area rich in historical and cultural resources, a prime example of an unspoiled natural environment with much scenic beauty.

Montgomery County Heritage Area

The Montgomery County Heritage Area showcases the County's rural heritage in the northern and western regions of the county, as well as along the Potomac River corridor. The Heritage Area is divided into three geographic clusters highlighting different themes, sites, and stories: The Farming Cluster, The Quaker Cluster, and The Innovative Technology Path.

Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area

Garrett County

The Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area has a rich history and culture. Its unique heritage resources reflect Maryland's pioneering spirit as western frontier lands were opened for settlement in the 18th and 19th centuries. As Garrett County was settled, its wealth of natural resources provided for both industry and recreation. In the 21st century, man and nature still drive the modern economy.

Southern Maryland Heritage Area

Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's Counties

The Southern Maryland Heritage Area, consisting of Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's Counties, lies entirely within the Atlantic Coastal Plain and is bounded by the Chesapeake Bay on the east and by the Potomac River on the west and south. Cultural and natural resources open to the public in all three counties include numerous state forests and parks, regional parks, beaches with boardwalks, and a variety of museums illustrating local history.

Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area

Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot Counties

With six National Historic Landmarks, six historic districts, and hundreds of other resources listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area is rich in historic resources. The region also possesses one National Wildlife Refuge, three Natural Resource Management Areas, two state Wildlife Management Areas, four state parks, one state demonstration forest, noted privately run nature centers, and a myriad of local parks.

Recognized Heritage Areas

Patapsco Heritage Greenway

Baltimore and Howard Counties