For 25 years, Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area (CCHA) has helped preserve, promote, and connect the natural, historic, and cultural resources that make Annapolis and Anne Arundel County a unique place to live and to visit. As we celebrate this milestone in October 2026, we recognize the partnerships, investments, and community organizations that have helped heritage thrive throughout our region.
Heritage is more than our past—it is an investment in our future. Historic sites, museums, parks, waterfronts, our rivers, and arts and cultural organizations attract visitors who support local restaurants, shops, lodging, and other businesses. Heritage tourism strengthens the local economy while preserving the places and stories that give our communities their character and sense of place.
Heritage Investment, Local Economic Benefits
Since FY2002, Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area has helped direct millions of dollars toward local heritage and community projects through Maryland’s heritage funding programs.
- $3,163,156 in management, marketing, and mini-grant funding awarded to CCHA.
- 118 project grants awarded to organizations and local governments within the heritage area.
- $5,265,500.62 in project grant funding awarded to local partners.
- More than $8.4 million in combined management, marketing, mini-grant, and project grant funding.
- Recent project grant awards continue to demonstrate the value of investing in local heritage, including $364,527 in FY2025, $356,600 in FY2026, and $334,000 in FY2027.
These figures represent direct heritage funding, but the broader impact extends further through local 1 to 1 matching contributions, collateral partnerships, visitor spending, educational programming, and community engagement. This funding has helped local organizations preserve historic resources, improve visitor experiences, expand programming, and share stories that might otherwise go untold.
This work depends on a strong partnership among the State of Maryland, Anne Arundel County, and the City of Annapolis. Support from our local governments are an essential foundation for CCHA to access and administer the available State heritage funds that directly benefit nonprofit organizations, museums, historic sites, and cultural programs throughout the County and City.
A Heritage Area That Has Grown With Its Communities
Established as a Maryland Certified Heritage Area in 2001, CCHA has evolved alongside the communities it serves. Originally known as the Annapolis, London Town & South County Heritage Area, the organization later became the Four Rivers Heritage Area. In 2021, the heritage area’s boundary expanded, nearly doubling its geographic footprint and broadening its reach across Annapolis and Anne Arundel County bringing with it a new name and new brand in 2022: Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area. This growth reflects a commitment to connecting more communities, organizations, and heritage resources through shared stories and collaborative opportunities.
Today, CCHA works with local governments, museums, historic sites, cultural organizations, and community partners to advance its mission: to advance, support, and promote the natural, historic, and cultural resources of the region.
Sharing the Many Stories of Our Region
CCHA’s interpretive framework connects the region’s diverse history through four themes:
- Crossroads of Place: Exploring the landscapes, waterways, transportation routes, and communities that shaped the region.
- Crossroads of Culture: Celebrating the diverse peoples, traditions, arts, and cultural influences that define our communities.
- Crossroads of Struggle for Equality and Freedom: Recognizing the people and movements that challenged injustice and advanced freedom and equal rights.
- Crossroads of Social Change: Examining how our region has evolved through changing ideas, industries, communities, and social movements.
Together, these themes encourage partners to share a fuller, more inclusive history—one that recognizes underrepresented voices and connects the region’s historic places, natural resources, cultural traditions, and contemporary community life.
Looking Ahead: The Next Six Years
CCHA’s FY2027–FY2032 Six-Year Action Plan establishes a framework for continued growth and impact. Approved in 2026, the plan prioritizes Tourism, Community Enhancement, and Sustainability, guiding CCHA’s programming, partnerships, grantmaking, and evaluation.
Tracking outcomes and measuring impact will help CCHA demonstrate the value of heritage investment, strengthen funding opportunities, and ensure that resources benefit communities throughout the expanded heritage area.
As CCHA celebrates its 25th anniversary, the organization remains committed to building connections, supporting local heritage organizations, and helping communities share the stories that make this region distinctive.
Celebrate 25 Years of Heritage—Make a Gift for the Next 25!
For a quarter-century, Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area has brought partners together to preserve our shared heritage and turn investment into meaningful community impact. Now, as we celebrate this milestone, we invite you to help shape the next 25 years.
Celebrate 25 years with a gift of $25, $250, or $2,500! Every contribution makes a difference. Community donations help CCHA meet the local funding match required to access available State of Maryland heritage funding—bringing more resources to local museums, historic sites, cultural organizations, and community projects.
Your anniversary gift can help leverage additional state support, strengthen heritage tourism, and preserve our region’s rich and diverse stories for future generations. Whether you give $25, $250, or $2,500, your support helps make every dollar go further.
Help us celebrate our past — while investing in our future. Make your 25th anniversary gift today at chesapeakecrossroads.org/donate.
25 years of partnership. A stronger future for local heritage. Every dollar counts!
Learn More About the Impact of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority HERE
