A public information meeting will be held on July 31 at the Charlotte Hall Library from 6:00-8:00 PM to discuss opportunities for preserving and enhancing the Religious Freedom Byway in Saint Mary’s and Charles Counties and applying for designation of the route as one of America’s Byways by the Federal Highway Administration.
A byway management plan is being prepared with funding from a Federal Highway Administration grant through the National Scenic Byways Program. The grant is being administered through a joint effort between Saint Mary’s and Charles Counties. The byway management plan is needed to apply for designation as a National Scenic Byway.
The plan describes the goals, strategies and responsibilities for conserving and enhancing a byway’s most valuable qualities. It is developed collaboratively with those who have an interest in the future of an area included in the byway corridor. It includes both a long-term vision for what the byway may become over time and also a short-term action plan.The plan is being prepared by a team of planning, engineering, landscape architecture and historic preservation experts led by Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects, P.C. of Alexandria, Virginia.
The meeting will include a presentation by Jim Klein, a nationally recognized expert in managing scenic byways and heritage touring routes. He will talk about the benefits of byway designation, the steps involved with the development of a management plan, and some of the issues that must be addressed as part of the planning effort. A vision for the future of the corridor will also be discussed.
The Religious Freedom Byway generally follows along the Maryland shore of the Potomac River from Port Tobacco to Point Lookout along State Routes 225, 301, 234 and 5. The byway has an upper loop from Port Tobacco along Rose Hill Rd, MD 225,
MD 224, MD 425 & MD 6 through the Nanjemoy area. In addition, several branches of the byway reach toward the Potomac River to Cobb Island, St. Clements, Piney Point, and St. George’s Island. The byway incorporates many of the nation’s oldest churches, the site of the first Roman Catholic Mass held in English speaking America, and Maryland’s colonial capital, Historic St. Mary’s City. For some travelers, it’s a spiritual pilgrimage; others simply admire the history. The Byway travels through beautiful countryside into the heart of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area. An Advisory Committee has been formed to assist in the development of the management plan. The members of the Religious Freedom Byway Advisory Committee represent the many different viewpoints of individuals with an interest in the route: people who live or work along the route, those that are responsible for its management, and those with extensive knowledge of the history of the area.
At the end of the ten-month byway management planning process, citizens and communities along the byway will decide whether to pursue designation as one of 113 “America’s Byways” as part of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) National Scenic Byway Program.
The designation provides additional opportunities for heritage-based tourism development including additional funding opportunities for pres