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Town Near Antietam Finally Joins Civil War Tourism Program

CAMBRIDGE, Md. (AP) -- The western Maryland town that witnessed the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War is joining a state-sponsored tourism program it rejected 16 years ago.

The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority voted Thursday to add Sharpsburg to the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area.

Town officials refused to participate in 1999, fearing that the rural community of 700 would be overrun with fast-food restaurants and motels. But Mayor Hal Spielman, elected in 2002, says the Town Council now considers it a good thing.

Spielman advocated for the program at a public hearing April 7. Several business owners, citizens and history buffs also spoke in favor of the plan.

The program makes local governments, nonprofits and businesses eligible for state help with historic preservation and tourism promotion.

(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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