ELKINS — A total of 19 local development projects have been awarded a total of $200,000 in matching grants by the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area, officials announced Thursday.

The Appalachian Forest Grants program funds interpretation, preservation, tourism, and partnership development projects.

“We received almost twice as many requests as we had funds available,” AFNHA Executive Director Phyllis Baxter said. “So the judgment process was difficult, and inevitably, we had to turn down some very worthwhile projects.

“We thank all who applied, and we encourage organizations to start brainstorming future projects. We expect to offer this grant program annually.”

The grants were made possible by National Heritage Area funding through the National Park Service.

The grant awards will support projects including exhibits and signage related to local history and ecology, repairs to historic buildings, original theatrical productions celebrating regional culture, arts and heritage educational programs.

The grantees include:

Allegany Museum Inc: Mountain Maryland Traditional Arts Education Center;

Arthurdale Heritage, Inc: Essential Museum Upgrades and Masonry Restoration;

City of Frostburg: Glendening Park Signage;

Evergreen Heritage Center Foundation Inc: The Forest Gatehouse Exhibit;

Friends of Blackwater: Ecotourism and Heritage Tourism with Friends of Blackwater;

Friends of the Cheat: Cheat River Trailhead Interpretive Signage;

Future Generations University: Forest on the Go;

Greenbrier Valley Archaeology, Inc: Fort Warwick Archaeology and Heritage Tourism;

Greenbrier Valley Repertory Theatre: West Virginia History Play;

Helvetia Restoration and Development Organization: Helvetia Historic Signage;

Kump Education Center: Woodland Heritage Lecture Series;

Mountain Heritage Trails, Inc: Restored Humanity: The African American Burial Grounds of Hardy County;

Northern Webster County Improvement Council, Inc: Appalachian Heritage-Historical Area;

The Old Brick Playhouse Company: OBP Dynamic History Initiative;

Pendleton County Convention and Visitors Bureau: Preparing Pendleton & Sharing Seneca;

Randolph County Historical Society Inc: Centennial of the RCHS – 100 Years of History;

Randolph County Park and Recreation Board: Historic Schoolhouse Renovation and 4-H Museum;

West Virginia Highlands Conservancy: Highlands Creatures Coloring Book; and

Woodlands Development Group: Lost Towns/Lost Communities.

The Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area’s mission is to conserve, interpret and promote forest heritage to enhance landscapes and communities in the highlands of West Virginia and Maryland. AFNHA works with partners to accomplish this through community development, conservation, celebrating cultural heritage and creating opportunities for transformational experiences. To learn more, see www.appalachianforestnha.org.