Annapolis, MD – Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County is pleased to announce eight 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:

• Annapolis Maritime Museum, for an exhibit entitled “Over The Bridge,” to be displayed in the historic, newly renovated McNasby’s Oyster Packing Co. building. The exhibit will illustrate Eastport’s unique community and its relationship to the waterways that surround it through photography and historic artifacts.
   
• Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation, in partnership with The Lost Towns Archaeology Project, for redesign and upgrade of the Lost Towns website. The new website will include cutting-edge technology including web-based video, photography, and a blog to keep visitors informed of current and past projects.
   
• Charles Carroll House, for a lecture series entitled, “Charles Carroll – Out of Place in the 21st Century?” in conjunction with an essay contest for local students. The lectures will examine social history “through the eyes of Charles Carroll” and seek to broaden public awareness and understanding of historical and ethical issues related to Carroll’s life, values, and practices.
   
• Friends of the Maryland State Archives, for an interpretive brochure for visitors to the Maryland State House in Annapolis. The brochure will inform visitors of the building’s historical and architectural significance and lengthy legislative and social history in place of the building’s displaced exhibits, which will be redesigned for the newly-renovated interior.
   
• Historic Annapolis Foundation, in partnership with the Banneker-Douglass Museum and the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center, for a day-long Black History Month seminar featuring local historians and musical performances.
   
• Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, for the development and production of a photographic tribute booklet on the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial located at City Dock in Annapolis. The booklet will educate the public about the region’s African American history and the Memorial in particular, and will encourage visitors to explore other cultural resources in our area.
   
• St. John’s College, for a multi-media initiative on the desegregation of the school entitled “The Magnificent Seven.” The online exhibit will feature recorded interviews, photographs, and archival material to tell the story that started with the college’s first seven African American alumni. The final product will be available to the public through St. John’s website as well as at a forum hosted by the Banneker-Douglass Museum.
   
• The United States Lighthouse Society, for development of an interpretive plan for exhibits at the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse and at the Annapolis Maritime Museum about this National Historic Landmark. This project will be the first step toward a more dynamic and educational history of the lighthouse for the general public.

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.