Formed in 1993, the Authority is an instrumentality of the State and a public corporation. At its creation, the General Assembly recognized that the "Chesapeake and Ohio Canal is one of the great historic waterways of the United States extending 185 miles from Georgetown in the District of Columbia to its western terminus in Cumberland, Maryland" (Chapter 544, Acts of 1993; Code Financial Institutions Article, sec. 13-1002). At that time, the Canal Place Historic Preservation District was created. The District was redesignated as the Canal Place Heritage Area in 2001 (Chapter 556, Acts of 2001).
The Authority's nine members serve four-year terms. Six are named by the Governor with Senate advice and consent. One represents the Cumberland Mayor and City Council; one, the Maryland Historical Trust; and one, the U.S. Dept. of the Interior. The Governor names the chair. With the Governor's approval, the Authority appoints the Executive Director (Code Financial Institutions Article, secs. 13-1001 through 13-1031).
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