2001
October 2001: ALTSCHA completes the final requirements to become certified as a Maryland heritage area in October, 2001. This means that grants from organizations in the heritage area became eligible for MHAA funding.
Retrospective of Achievements Since Certification in 2002
In August, 2023, the heritage area changed its legal name from Annapolis, London Town & South County Heritage Area, Inc. (ALTSCHA, Inc.) to Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area, Inc.
In October 2021, ALTSCHA marked its 20-Year Anniversary of Certification as one of Maryland’s Heritage Areas. On this page, we share some of our most notable achievements over the years, including video links, grant funding, and milestones over the years.
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Grants Awarded
Here we highlight the many projects in the heritage area that have benefited by MHAA funding. Please note that some projects have received grants for multiple phases of a project years in the making.
Mini-Grants
Our heritage area’s Mini-Grants have been funded jointly by MHAA, City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, ALTSCHA, and Mini-Grantee match, until we received MHAA Block grant funding for Mini-Grants in FY2022; the projects are now funded by MHAA, CCHA donated funds, and Mini-Grantee Match.
Over our 22-Year history, the herityage area has awarded 197 Mini-Grants (totaling $467,418 in grants funded) to Stakeholder Organizations, resulting in $2.89 million dollars in total projects costs for Mini-Grant Projects. Review the lists of Mini-Grant Projects here: Mini-Grants By Year, Mini-Grants By Grantee.
MHAA Grants
MHAA Grant awards are fully matched. Over our 22-Year history, MHAA has awarded 139 Grants to ALTSCHA organizations, totaling $6.9 million in grants funded, resulting in $22.3 million in total project costs for MHAA Grant Projects, both capital and non-capital. Download the lists of MHAA-funded Projects here: MHAA Grants by Year, MHAA Grants by Grantee.
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Total Funds Invested in Grant Projects since 2001: $7.4 Million
Total Project Funding for Grant Projects since 2001: $25.2 Million
Download the Summary Grid of all Grants (FY2002-2023) here: https://chesapeakecrossroads.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PIG-Grid-All-w-color-updated-July-28-2023.pdf
Download the MHAA-funded Economic Impact Report (February 2020) about our heritage area: https://chesapeakecrossroads.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FINAL-FOUR-RIVERS-reduced.pdf
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Timeline — 20 Years in Review
2004
2004. ALTSCHA adopts the marketing name of Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County Heritage Area, or Four Rivers Heritage Area, with new logo.
2011
ALTSCHA marked 10 years of accomplishments since certification in October 2011 with a celebration at the Annual Heritage Awards ceremony and a VIDEO created by the City of Annapolis.
2013
In February 2013, the organization created a descriptive video for Visit Annapolis to share about our heritage area and our partners
2014
In October 2014, our organization published a video featuring "Stewardship Success Stories," to encourage rural land preservation efforts by property owners
2018
In February 2018, a pilot video was created for the proposed Four Rivers "Story Project." The YouTube (and website) video featured Gertrude Makell
2019
In June 2019, as part of the virtual experiences planned for the "Maryland Day Unpaused" collaborative effort (during the restrictions of COVID), staff created a YouTube video presentation