Four Rivers Heritage Area has created a Youtube channel and we are currently featuring a Maryland Day video courtesy of the City of Annapolis. Check out this short film on Four Rivers' Youtube channel featuing Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen. Thank you Rhonda and Josh of the City of Annapolis for your support! After you watch the video, check out www.marylandday.org for event details and schedules.

As we come closer to the Maryland Day Celebration weekend, our work is falling into place! We are pleased to share the small poster (8 1/2 x 11" format) for the event!

Ed Chrystal, of the design firm Chrystal Creative, has designed our rack card and poster again this year. Ten thousand rack cards have been printed and most have been distributed throughout the area and also at Maryland's four Welcome Centers around the state. We still have some available, so please call the Four Rivers office at 410-222-1805 if you would like some to distribute to your members/stakeholders.

The artwork is beautiful! Download the poster here (scroll down to "downloads" and select the poster). We will be printing the poster and distributing it to our partners, or you can download and print your own!

Applications for FY2011 Maryland Heritage Area (MHAA) Project Grants are now being accepted.

Project Grant applications should be submitted directly to individual Managment entities. Applicants within the Four Rivers Heritage Area must submit an Intention to Apply form by Friday, February 19th at 5 p.m. The final application will be due to the Four Rivers office by COB on March 5.

·      MHAA FY2011 Grants Workshop, Monday, February 1, 10 a.m., in the Heritage Center Complex, 2664 Riva Road, in the Chesapeake Room on the 2nd floor. Light refreshments will be provided. Led by Richard Hughes and Jen Ruffner of the MHAA. Come learn about the details of the revised grant application, now available online at http://mht.maryland.gov/grants_heritagearea.html.

Other Funding for Historic Preservation and Museum Projects

The weekend-long Maryland Day celebration planning is coming along! We hope that you will be able to participate in any of the various events and activities that will take place March 19th through the 21st all over the Heritage Area. There will be fun, family-friendly events in Annapolis and South County throughout the weekend. To keep updated on new activities and participating sites, please visit the www.marylandday.org website. We will be adding new sites up until March, so check back often!

On Sunday, January 3, 2010, an article on Four Rivers Heritage Area mini-grant program, by Andrea F. Siegel, was published in the Baltimore Sun's Arundel Section. You can read the entire article by clicking here. The article highlights several of the projects funded in part by Four Rivers mini-grants, which are awarded in amounts up to $2,500 and are fully matched by other funds, including the most recent grant-round - which resulted in 11 awards! Last year was the sixth year that Four Rivers awarded grants in support of historic, cultural, and natural resources of the region.

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County is pleased to announce eleven new mini-grant awards to local heritage-related nonprofit organizations. This matching mini-grants program, made possible for the sixth year through financial support from the City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, leverages other funding to assist local heritage related non-profit organizations create new programs, activities and events that build upon interpretive themes in the state, county and city-approved heritage area Management Plan, foster collaborative partnerships, and enhance local cultural historic resources and heritage tourism.

 

Organizations and projects approved for mini-grant awards include:

 

·         The Historic Annapolis Foundation, for a new exhibit and living history interpretation celebrating the life and legacy of Maryland’s renowned eighteenth-century printer and publisher, Anne Catharine Green. The exhibit will be located in HistoryQuest at 99 Main Street in downtown Annapolis.

·         The Anne Arundel County Bar Foundation, Inc. for a research project amplifying the Crossroads of the Community exhibit currently housed at the Anne Arundel County Courthouse. Reference materials resulting from this project will be available in the exhibit space and online.

·         Banneker-Douglass Museum with the Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation, in cooperation with Anne Arundel County Schools, for an educational oral history project with Annapolis High School African-American History classes about the musical heritage of Carr’s Beach.

·         The City of Annapolis, Annapolis and Anne Arundel Conference and Visitors Bureau, and Downtown Annapolis Partnership for the installation of a new sign marking the entrance to the Visitor’s Center and West Street at the boundary of the Annapolis Historic District.

·         Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center in partnership with the Northern Arundel Cultural Preservation Society, for the development and operation of a docent program for the Legacy Center and its exhibits.

·         Historic London Town and Gardens, in collaboration with Anne Arundel County Schools, for an educational outreach program for local fourth grade students to learn about transatlantic trade during the eighteenth century. Student work from this program will be displayed at London Town and available for viewing online.

·         Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation, in collaboration with the Sands House, for an archaeological investigation at the Sands House and a public program presenting their results.

·         The Shady Side Rural Heritage Society for a color brochure offering an ecological tour, including features of the bio-retention project that will be completed on the grounds of the Captain Salem Avery Museum in Spring 2010.

·         The Annapolis Chamber Players and the Charles Carroll House for a series of chamber music concerts with educational discussions featuring music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

·         The Annapolis Maritime Museum for its first brochure detailing the maritime experience offered by the expanded museum, including information on the “Oysters on the Half-Shell” exhibit opening March 2010.

·         The City of Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission for a reprinting (and web-posting) of its informative booklet, Building in the Fourth Century, the Annapolis Historic District Design Manual.
 

 

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County, one of Maryland’s 11 certified heritage areas, is a partnership among the State of Maryland, Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis, the town of Highland Beach, and local historic sites, heritage organizations, and heritage-related businesses, to encourage economic vitality through historic preservation and heritage tourism. For more information, please contact Executive Director Carol Benson at 410-222-1805 or visit our website at www.fourriversheritage.org

The Annapolis Maritime Museum presents performer Gordon Bok live at the renovated McNasby's Building tonight, October 8, 2009 at 8 pm. Tickets are $20 at the door. AMM had this to say about Mr. Bok:

"Gordon Bok grew up around the boatyards of Camden, Maine, and spent time aboard fishing boats, passenger schooners, and as deckhand, mate, and captain of various yachts. He learned tunes, sea songs, stories, legends and ballads from the people he worked with, and began to write songs based on the experiences of those he knew -- songs like "Bay of Fundy," among others. His songs were based on the experiences of those he knew -- real people whose language was honest, whose feelings were credible. Over the years his rich voice and fluid guitar work attracted a following up and down the Atlantic seaboard and beyond.

A superb storyteller, Bok often introduces songs in concert with a bit of their origin and history. He toured for nearly thirty years with the trio, Bok, Muir and Trickett. He has also performed with his wife, harper Carol Rohl, and with Anne Dodson, Cindy Kallet, Bob Zentz, Margaret MacArthur and other well-known folk artists."

Don't miss this great fall event! Visit www.amaritime.org or call 410-295-0104 for more info.

Herrington on the Bay and Herrington Harbour welcome everyone to enjoy the second Herring Bay Eco Day on Sunday, October 11 from 1 pm to 5 pm, a green festival featuring fun and entertainment for the whole family! Located at Herrington Harbour South in Southern A.A. County, the beautiful waterfront Eco-Lifestyle Resort offers astounding Chesapeake views while you listen to local bay tunes provided by Coastal Flats.

Kid-friendly activities, eco-education and demonstrations, local food and drinks, local artisans and farmers, wellness activities like seated massage and aromatherapy will all be available! Admission to the festival is FREE; $5.00 per car parking fee. Proceeds benefit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay Trust. For more information and directions, visit www.herringtononthebay.com/eco/eco-day.php.

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County seeks nominations for its sixth annual heritage awards. These awards recognize individuals, organizations, partnerships, programs and products that contribute significantly to the community by interpreting, promoting, preserving, researching and/or supporting our historical legacy.

Awards are made in several different categories, including Heritage Tourism Product, New Initiatives, Heritage Partnership, Heritage Professional, and Public/Private Initiatives. The heritage area encourages nominations for green or environmentally friendly heritage-related products and tours, as well as nominations that include the use of technology in heritage-related educational products and tours. Nominations are also requested for the Legacy Award, which recognizes an individual or group who continues or preserves a traditional craft or livelihood, and the Heritage Award, which goes to an individual or organization for significant and long-lasting contributions to local history and heritage. Self-nominations are accepted.

Nomination forms are available online or by calling the Four Rivers Heritage Area office. Completed nominations must include a written statement of 500 words or less on why your nominee should be recognized in a particular category. Supplemental materials are required in some categories. A complete listing of previous awards winners is available on our website, on the "Heritage Awards" page.

The nominations deadline is September 28, 2009. A heritage area awards committee will review and evaluate nominations; awards will be presented at the Four Rivers annual meeting and awards ceremony in early November 2009.

Four Rivers, one of Maryland's eleven state certified heritage areas, is part of the Maryland Heritage Areas Program. For more information, please call the heritage area office at 410-222-1805. Contact: Carol Benson, Executive Director.

Four Rivers Heritage Area is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the FY2010 Mini-grant program. Awards of up to $2,500, which must be fully matched, are available to heritage-related sites and organizations, as well as municipalities to develop new and innovative programs, partnerships, exhibits, tours, events, and other initiatives that are consistent with the regional themes and activities suggested in our state, county and city approved Management Plan (available here). We encourage mini-grant proposals that include collaborative partnerships and enhance preservation and heritage tourism.

The full guidelines and application are available for download on Four Rivers' Partner Pages. Applications must be received by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, October 13, 2009.

The staff of Four Rivers Heritage Area have started our own "Four Rivers" blog with notes about adventures in heritage tourism, and more! Visit us at http://fourriversha.wordpress.com/ for staff updates and "tweets". While you're surfing the net, please don't miss the brand-new Anne Arundel County Horse Heritage blog with short essays on our region's unique equine history and heritage. Become a "Follower" on the Horse Heritage blog to keep up-to-date on new stories and resources. Please give us your feedback, comments, etc.. by emailing heritage_area@aacounty.org or calling us at 410-222-1805. We would appreciate your input!

Ted Weihe, President of the Chesapeake 20 Association, recently wrote to us marking the association's many accomplishments since receiving a mini-grant from Four Rivers.

Ted writes, "We have held two Nationals [at Annapolis Maritime Museum], and currently have a six-month exhibit on display there on the history of our class (opening timed with our arrival from West River). This would not have been possible without the Four Rivers grant. ... I have worked hard at our website, www.chesapeake20.org. At first I just tried to get the materials on it, but we have now organized it by decades. This effort of identifying our most historical documents was critical to our exhibit where every document displayed is original. We have been fortunate to collect archival materials from John Kramer and Helen Orme, prior to their deaths. We also have materials from Neal Kramer, Will Keyworth, Helen Headler, Elsie Witman and many others - usually from their family albums. We have two exact models of Stormy that were built by John Kramer.

We have revived the class with strong turnouts - 10 last Sunday. Currently, e yacht builders in Baltimore are making a new cold molded 20, plan to restore two classic 20s, and we have a [fiber]glass boat soon to be constructed by Hartge Yacht Yard.  We have pulled old hands back into the class - and in fact, race more classic (wooden) than glass 20s.  I race Stormy which was built in 1939 - and remains very fast and competitive."

Thanks for the update, Ted, and congratulations on a rich and informative website about this wonderful Galesville-based class of boats!

A brand new Hammond-Harwood tour looks at how closely the house follows the principles of classical architecture. Offered at 10:00 am on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, the tour takes bout two hours. Cost is $10 for HHH members and $15 for non-members. Reservations are required. Please call 410-263-4683 x10 or buy tickets online at www.hammondharwoodhouse.org. Also, save the date: September 19, 2009 for the House's annual Garden Party. Details are available on their website!

Four Rivers is proud to announce that FY2010 Funding from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority to our heritage area totals $314,450! For details, please visit our 'Press Room' page.

The Anne Arundel County Economic Development Corporation (AAEDC) has announced an updated list of County farmer's markets. To download the list (in PDF format), please click here. There is a county market open nearly every day of the week! For more information about Anne Arundel County and agriculture, visit the AAEDC online.

A hands-on exploration of local history: the War of 1812 and the history of the Star Spangled Banner will be featured in the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society s Children s Summer Series at the Captain Salem Avery Museum, 1418 E.W. Shady Side Road, July 13 to 17.

Among the activities planned for the children are making a soldier s haversak, preparing and eating hardtack, learning  the meaning of the Stars and Stripes, and making and designing  a flag. There will be two session on the first four days of the Series. Morning sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and afternoon sessions are from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Sessions are limited to 20 participants ages 6 to 11.

On Wednesday, the two sessions will join for a field trip to Fort McHenry and the Flag House in Baltimore.  Families of participants are welcome.  Parents are needed to provide transportation and chaperone this all day trip from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The cost of the Series is $60 for children of members of the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society, and $70 for children of non-members.  An additional $7 fee for materials and admissions will be collected on the first day of the camp.  For more information and to register, call the Museum at 410-867-4486 or visit the web site at www.shadysidemuseum.org.

The City of Annapolis recently received two prestigious awards from the National Arbor Day Foundation: being named a "Tree City USA Community" and  receiving the Tree City USA Growth Award for demonstrating progress in its community forestry program. For the full press release, click here. Congratulations Annapolis!

Visitors to Maryland Prioritize Their Interests: An Online Survey

Prepared for the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Presented January 2009, and summarized by Roz Racanello, Executive Director, SMHAC. Note: This is a compilation of input from 269 visitors to Maryland in the Fall of 2008.

WHO?

71% married or in domestic partnership, average 2.85 people in household

38% have children 18 or younger in household

72% have other adults

94% have been to college

83% are Caucasian

Average age is 43.8 and mean household income is $98,183

84% were visiting from Baltimore or DC

They take an average of 6 overnight trips a year and 6 day trips.

50% often plan their trips according to their interests

WHAT DO THEY DO?

Selecting from a list of 28 activities they checked these sites as likely to interest them:

89% Historic sites

89% Natural scenery

87% Outdoor recreation

87%Cultural attractions

80% Towns and cities

73% Shopping

735 Dining on local cuisine

WHAT DO THEY WANT?

Exhibits on history of the site

Demonstrations of period activities

Guided Tours

Living History

Behind the scenes tours

Driving tours

Authentic Music

Re-enactments

Guides in period costume

Hands on activities

Hiking biking paddling trails

Programs & lectures

Audio tours

HOW DO THEY GET THEIR INFO?

87% used online sources and those were primarily (46%) begun with search engines

80% used off line especially

45% Heard through word of mouth

Articles, tourism guides and brochures followed

WHERE DID THEY GO?

43% went to Four Rivers Heritage Area (we are TOPS in this survey!)

39 % went to Baltimore Heritage Area

34% Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area

64% went to one of the 3 heritage areas on the Eastern Shore

18% went to Southern Maryland Heritage Area

Montgomery County had 16%, Anacostia Trails Heritage Area had 5%, Canal Place had 10%

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES?

66% Enjoying the scenery

59% Shopping*

57 Historic sites

57% Cultural attractions

56% Outdoor recreation

*While a small number admitted to planning shopping as part of their trip a much larger number said they enjoyed shopping while at their destination.

HISTORY: (in order of preference)

1. Early architecture & building traditions
2. Founding & settlement
3. Native American history & culture
4. Religious Freedom
5. Immigration & western expansion

NATURAL RESOURCES that they enjoyed were primarily:

Outdoor recreation hunting, fishing, beaches, boating

Chesapeake Bay foodways & culture

WAR & CONFLICT: top 3 in this order: Civil War, Revolutionary War, 1812.

TRANSPORTATION & WORK: top 3: Working the Bay, Space, Roads & railroads

THEMES: by a huge margin the winner is Outdoor recreation & adventure, followed by early architecture, founding & settlement, Chesapeake Bay foodways, Native American history, National Conflicts, Transportation & Work.

Now that we know what visitors are looking for, let's work harder to help them get what they want!

On November 5th at Historic London Town and Gardens, Four Rivers held its Fifth Annual Heritage Awards ceremony, and recognized the following individuals and organizations with Heritage Awards:

Heritage Tourism Product: "Paddle Through History" Kayak Tour of the Rhode River (partnership with Smithsonian Environmental Research Center) and "Paddle Through History" Kayak Tour of Back Creek and Spa Creek (partnership with Annapolis Maritime Museum)

Honorees: Lost Towns Archaeology Project; C. Jane Cox; Jessie Grow; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; Annapolis Maritime Museum

Heritage Tourism Product: "Seeking Liberty: Annapolis, An Imagined Community" Exhibit at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, in partnership with the Historic Annapolis Foundation and the City of Annapolis

Honorees: Dr. Mark Leone, Guest Curator of the Exhibit and Director of Archaeology in Annapolis; Amelia Harris, Exhibit Designer; Banneker-Douglass Museum; Historic Annapolis Foundation; City of Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer

Heritage Partnership Award: Southgate Memorial Fountain Restoration Committee (with special recognition to Alderman Richard Israel, Chair; Mayor Ellen O. Moyer)

Heritage Professional Award: Matthew Grubbs, Discover AnnapolisTours

Legacy Award: The Spiritual Vibrations of Southern Anne Arundel County

Heritage Award: First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis (Reverend William Hathaway, Pastor)

Heritage Award: June Taft Hall, Shady Side Rural Heritage Society

Congratulations to all our deserving award recipients!

An important archaeological find from the "Archaeology in Annapolis" excavations on Fleet Street this summer, which has been featured in recent articles in the New York Times and the Capital, has been placed on display at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis. This find is the remains of a "bundle" that contained objects with traditional African religious significance, dated to circa 1700, which appears to reflect African ritual practices from Annapolis slaves' West African heritage. Four Rivers is proud that our own Aleithea Williams, Heritage Programs Coordinator at Four Rivers and a contract archaeologist with last summer's excavations, was the first to uncover this spectacular find, under the supervision of Matthew Cochran and the program's director, Dr. Mark P. Leone of the University of Maryland. Congratulations all around and especially to Archaeology in Annapolis, for bringing to light this revealing and unexpected find, which lay just a few feet below Fleet Street for three centuries!

The Highland Beach Historical Commission, in partnership with the Annapolis Community Bank and Annapolis Rotary Club, is proud to announce the publication of Highland Beach on the Chesapeake Bay: Maryland’s First African-American Incorporated Town. This volume will be a tribute to the 115th anniversary of the founding of Highland Beach.

This handsome 8.5" x 11" hardcover limited-edition volume will feature 160 pages of fascinating text and will be richly illustrated with over 200 captioned archival photographs, compliments of "friends of the beach" and the private collections of Highland Beach and Venice Beach residents. Many of these photographs are unpublished until now. Highland Beach on the Chesapeake Bay will be a permanent record of life in these historic communities from 1893 to 2008 that will be treasured for generations.

For more information, please contact Jean Langston, Executive Director of the Highland Beach Historical Commission, at 410-267-6960, or write to: Highland Beach Historical Commission, 3202 Wayman Ave., Highland Beach, MD 21403. With an initial printing of only 1,000 copies, don’t miss your opportunity to capture history in this commemorative volume.

The Baltimore & Annapolis Rail Trail, a segment of the East Coast Greenway, is accessible from the Jonas Green Park (just after the Naval Academy Bridge coming from downtown Annapolis). As the weather turns cooler and the leaves start to change, take an afternoon to explore this historic former railroad route. The path is relatively flat, paved in good condition, and off-road (except where it crosses intersections). Visit the East Coast Greenway website (www.greenway.org) then select "Maps" and scroll down for a good map of the B & A Trail, inlcuding where it connects to the BWI Trail that circumvents the airport. Contact Four Rivers at heritage_area@aacounty.org, or call us (410) 222-1805, to discuss your ideas for more biking initiatives in the Heritage Area.

The newly opened Wiley Bates Legacy Center, located at 1101 Smithville St., Annapolis, invites you to explore African American history with an exciting new exhibit: 'Trails, Tracks, Tarmac: Lives of African-Americans in the History and Culture of Northern Anne Arundel County, 1850 to the Present'. Using documentary story quilts, photos, railroad collectibles, land documents, and personal recollections on DVD, the exhibition will tell stories of African Americans' contributions to the development of northern Anne Arundel County. The Bates Legacy Center will be open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 3 pm, and Sundays by appointment. Call 410-266-5004 for more information.
 

Maryland has designated 19 byways that encompass 2,487 miles of beautiful roads, which offer a taste of Maryland s scenic beauty, history and culture. Take the roads less traveled including four entirely new byways featuring nationally significant themes: the Star-Spangled Banner, Antietam Campaign, Booth s Escape and the Mason and Dixon byways. Anne Arundel and Calvert Counties are home to the newly-expanded 'Roots and Tides' Byway, that runs 47 miles from Annapolis to Plum Point and features the scenic historic South County landmarks of the Four Rivers Heritage Area.

A 176-page guidebook featuring Maryland's Byways, developed by the Maryland SHA in partnership with Maryland's office of Tourism development and the National Scenic Byways program, has just been published, and will be available free of charge to the public at Welcome Centers and other centers for visitor information.

To link to the State Highway Administration's Maryland Byways map, click here.