Celebrating (and Selling) History

If you live in Maryland, you’re probably aware of significant centennials on the horizon. If not, you soon will be because so many resources are assigned to market them. If there is one commodity Maryland enjoys in abundance, it’s history. Like sports, history and heritage are major producers in the Maryland visitor industry.

For the next few years, we will be observing the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, (aka War Between the States, War of Northern Aggression, etc.,) much of which took place in our border state, and the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and writing of the Star-Spangled Banner in 1814, which also brought action and acclaim to our shores.

Since the State of Maryland is celebrating these events and inviting visitors to join us, the Office of Sports Marketing is tagging every possible activity with historic significance. But sometimes these two realms intersect serendipitously. For one imaginative initiative, The Grand History Trail, we give a nod to our northern neighbors.

It began with the success and popularity of the North Central Rail Trail in the late1980's, which caught our friends in York County by surprise. While the old train bed continued all the way to York, the trail ended at the Mason-Dixon line. There, the opportunity for increased commerce turned around and peddled away. So in 1990, York County created a Rail Trail Authority, incorporated by the Commonwealth, which had the ability to negotiate for property, easements and grant monies on behalf of the government.

This authority was comprised of volunteers, and their mandate was to bring the North Central trail all the way to York. By the turn of the century, they had done just that (no doubt taking a certain delight that their segment is a mile longer than Maryland’s.)

With this mission complete, the Rail Trail Authority turned the linear park over to Recreation and Parks for management, and cast around for other opportunities to build. They didn’t have to look far. Like Baltimore, York was a major railroad hub. Abandoned rightaways abound.

Recently they secured property from CSX to continue the Heritage trail an additional six miles to a public park near the Susquehanna. Some of their other projects include a Ma and Pa trail in Red Lion and the Hanover Trolley Trail between York and Hanover. They are also parceling together segments of an old trolley line that will connect Hanover to Gettysburg.

This very active board has achieved wonders in the twenty years it has been in operation. But undoubtedly one of their best ideas (which ironically engages Maryland more than Pennsylvania) is the designation of the Grand History Trail.

The Grand History Trail is a 300 mile loop of off-road trails and pathways which connects the cities of Baltimore and Washington with such historic destinations as Frederick, Annapolis, York, Hanover and Gettysburg. The pathways themselves, such as the C&O Canal, have historic significance. Some of them follow troop movements and historic commercial routes. Others travel through battlefields, along rivers and through the countryside.

Much of the Grand History Trail was in place or design when the concept first surfaced in 2005. Other segments were being developed independently by local governments. Some were incorporated in other trail networks, such as the East Coast Greenway, Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and Great Allegheny Passage. But credit for the overall vision goes to this volunteer authority.

Prompted by the York County Rail Trail Authority, the Commonwealth engaged the national Rails to Trails Conservancy to map the route, indicating where trails were complete, planned, or possible. They also provided alternate paths to follow between completed segments.

(Yes, the eternally stalled South Shore Trail is part of the Washington to Annapolis leg. You’ll have to detour in Bowie, where the WB&A stops short of Anne Arundel County.)

While the State of Maryland has supported construction of many of the connecting trails, there is no one statewide entity pushing for the completion of the loop, as there has been in Pennsylvania. We can only hope that as focus on our history intensifies in the next few years, this novel approach to visiting them will be realized. Maryland has its own activists and volunteers who see the value in this historic theme connecting popular recreational facilities.

So as we continue to follow Maryland’s trail blazing efforts, we’ll remind you of the historic significance of each and how it relates to our various celebrations. Maybe by the time the centennial celebrations close at Appomattox, we will have created a new chapter with the completion of Maryland’s portion of the Grand History Trail. (And if we can’t meet that deadline, can we please finish our portion ahead of Pennsylvania?)

Here are the segments identified in the Grand History Trail Loop:

York County Heritage Rail Trail (New Freedom to York)

Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail (Cockeysville to New Freedom)

Jones Falls Trail (Baltimore to Mt. Washington)

Inner Harbor Promenade (Gwynns Falls to Jones Falls)

Gwynns Falls Trail (Harbor Hospital to Inner Harbor)

BWI Trail (Airport to Light Rail Trail)

Baltimore and Annapolis Trail (Annapolis to BWI)

Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Trail (Prince George’s County)

Capital Crescent Trail

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park

Metropolitan Branch Trail

Anacostia Tributary Trail (Washington to Prince George’s County)

H&F Trolley Trail (Frederick to Thurmont)

Hanover to Gettysburg Trail (Gettysburg to Hanover)

Hanover Trolley Trail (Hanover to York)

Individually, each of these trails has a story. Together, they share some of the most significant aspects of the American experience.  Learn and enjoy while taking this trip through time.