SEVEN GROUPS IN THE STORIES OF THE CHESAPEAKE HERITAGE AREA WIN $197,875 IN STATEWIDE GRANTS COMPETITION

Chestertown, MD - September 8, 2007 - Eastern Shore Heritage, Inc. (ESHI), the managing entity for the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area, today announced that the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA) has awarded $197,875 in heritage development grants to seven nonprofit and governmental recipients in Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot counties.

The state's heritage development grants will support the new Natural Heritage Interpretation Center at Adkins Arboretum near Ridgely ($50,000); the conversion of five one-room buildings into tourist information points at strategic locations in Caroline County ($60,000 to the Caroline County Historical Society); interpretation at the Kent County History Center at the Geddes-Piper House Museum in Chestertown ($13,875 to the Historical Society of Kent County); a brochure for the Chesapeake Country National Scenic Byway that interprets the agricultural landscape ($7,000 to the Chesapeake Country National Scenic Byway Management Team, a consortium of Cecil, Kent, and Queen Anne's counties); public-access improvements to Stevensville's Christ Church (a Queen Anne's County-owned property, $37,000) and the Little Red Schoolhouse in Longwoods (a Talbot County-owned property, $15,000); and support for traditional arts interpretation at the 2007 Waterfowl Festival in Easton in November ($15,000).

"We are very pleased to see our partners do so well in such a highly competitive statewide grants program," said William J. MacFarland, ESHI's president. "Following on similar success from last year by six projects, our Board of Directors are privileged to be the leaders of a heritage area that clearly has a deep bench with many great players."

The Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area received the second highest total in grants this year, after the Baltimore Heritage Area.

"Actually, ESHI's grants committee forwarded fifteen excellent applications made by heritage partners in this area to the MHAA," said Bernadette Van Pelt, an ESHI director who participated in ESHI's grants review committee and who is also Kent County's director of tourism development. "We were all too aware that not all could be funded. The total in requested funds was $535,455 - or more than a quarter of the roughly two million dollars awarded to projects in eleven heritage areas across Maryland."

The Caroline County Historical Society also received emergency acquisition funds of $70,000 from the Maryland Historical Trust for the purchase of a Greek Revival-era (1830's) dwelling beside the historic Linchester Mill near Preston. The mill and historical research about Underground Railroad activities in the area have been central to other, previous heritage-area grants.

"Our Board of Directors, as identified in recent strategic planning, realizes that we must raise more local funds to address the heritage development needs in our region, as expressed by the dollars, number, and quality of these applications," noted Elizabeth Watson, ESHI's executive director.

The Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area was begun in the late 1990's by a group of citizens and public officials seeking ways for Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne's, and Talbot counties to enjoy the benefits of the state's heritage tourism program. The heritage area is managed by Eastern Shore Heritage, Inc. (ESHI), a not-for-profit organization. Today, the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area represents the collaborative efforts of more than 75 nonprofit and governmental institutions and sites and more than 600 local businesses involved in heritage tourism in four counties and 21 towns. Since the heritage area was certified by the State of Maryland in 2005, 19 nonprofit and governmental bodies have received more than $460,000 in funding from either Eastern Shore Heritage, Inc., or the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority. For more information about the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area and grant opportunities for 2007 and 2008, visit www.storiesofthechesapeake.org. or call 410-778-1460.

PHOTOS & CUTLINES FOR KENT COUNTY

The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA) has awarded $197,875 in heritage development grants to seven nonprofit and governmental recipients in Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot counties. The Historical Society of Kent County has won a grant of $13,785 to establish the Kent County History Center, a regional orientation center called for in the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area's management plan. This project revamps the role of the Geddes-Piper House Museum for Chestertown visitors, which is a major anchor in the Chestertown National Historic Landmark District and recently named one of this year's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "This project is not only critical to improving the visitor experience to Chestertown and the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area as a whole, but would demonstrate how a house museum can serve the needs of 21st-century audiences while respecting its previous lives," said Elizabeth Watson, executive director of Eastern Shore Heritage, Inc. (ESHI), the managing entity for the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area.. Grant funds will be used for the design and production of 12 graphic interpretive devices and four exhibit panels and displays that will encourage further exploration of heritage sites throughout the area. PHOTO COURTESY KENT COUNTY TOURISM.

The Chesapeake Country National Scenic Byway Committee has won a grant of $7,000 from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority for a brochure interpreting the scenic byway's farm heritage. The byway follows a combination of scenic state roads: 18 in Queen Anne's County, 213 in Kent and Queen Anne's Counties, and 20 and 445 in Kent County, all in the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area, continuing along Route 213 in Cecil County. All three counties are among Maryland's most productive farming areas. "The region's agricultural heritage, though vital to the history of the Eastern Shore and the experience of our residents and visitors, is significantly under-interpreted, and is a major theme recognized in our heritage area management plan," commented Elizabeth Watson, executive director of Eastern Shore Heritage, Inc. (ESHI), the managing entity for the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area.. Pictured here: White Pines Farm Produce Stand north of Centreville on Route 213. PHOTO COURTESY EASTERN SHORE HERITAGE, INC. [REPEATED FROM QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY PROJECTS]