Montgomery County Heritage Area

The Heritage Tourism Alliance of Montgomery County (Heritage Montgomery) was established in 2003 to raise the profile of Montgomery County’s rich history with residents and visitors alike.  Heritage Montgomery’s mission is to showcase and support the county’s historical, cultural, and natural areas thereby encouraging visitors to the sites and enhancing economic activity.  Its signature program, Heritage Days Weekend, is held every June and is a free event showcasing over 40 sites throughout the county.  Heritage Montgomery has produced a podcast driving tour of the Agricultural Reserve that can be accessed via their website and will produce a second video/podcast on the Civil War in Montgomery County in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the conflict.  

Location

Three thematic clusters define unique and distinctive features of Montgomery County: 

The Farming Cluster in the western part of the county is set in the 93,000 acre Agricultural Reserve, one of the most successful farmland preservation programs in the U.S.  Although Montgomery County is known for its urban regions, the Agricultural Reserve showcases historical landscapes that look much as they did in 19th- and early 20th- century America.  Poolesville, a farming center since the 18th century, is the gateway to the Farming Cluster. 

The Quaker Cluster is located in eastern Montgomery County.  The town of Sandy Spring was an early Quaker community and has an 1817 Friends Meetinghouse still in active use today.  The area was home to one of the earliest free black communities in the country; many homes in the area are believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad.

The Innovative Technology Path focuses on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal along the Potomac River and the Metropolitan Branch of the B & O Railroad which includes a number of significant late-19th century communities.  These endeavors relate directly to the growth and development of Montgomery County from the 17th through the 19th centuries.  Extraordinary engineering feats are on view all along the Canal and in particular at the 1833 Monocacy Aqueduct.

Management

Heritage Montgomery is a 501(c)(3) non-profit staffed by an Executive Director and two part-time support positions.  Its Board of Directors represents a variety of local heritage area partnerships.

Management Plan

The Montgomery County Heritage Management Plan was prepared in November 2002.  The plan includes information on the boundaries of the heritage area and Target Investment Zones, and presents Heritage Montgomery’s vision and goals along with the strategies, projects, programs, actions, and partnerships used to accomplish them.

Click here to view the management plan.

Contact Information

Peggy Erickson, Executive Director
Heritage Tourism Alliance of Montgomery County

12535 Milestone Manor Lane
Germantown, Maryland 20876

301-515-0753
Email:  director@heritagemontgomery.org

Website:  www.HeritageMontgomery.org