Southern Maryland National Heritage Area highlights tourism, seeks community input on management plan

Lucille Walker, executive director of the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, told the St. Mary's County Historic Preservation Commission that the region’s recent designation by Congress and its combination of national and state heritage status create opportunities for tourism, education and preservation projects across Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s and southern Prince George’s counties.

Walker emphasized the area’s historical significance and its attractions — including Mallows Bay, national trails, sites tied to early religious freedom, and networked stories of the Piscataway and descendants of enslaved people — as central to a strategy that pairs heritage interpretation with local economic development. “Heritage brings history from the past into where we are and keeps it moving forward,” Walker said.

Why it matters: the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, one of 62 nationally designated heritage areas, draws federal funding routed through the National Park…