WASHINGTON – Camden and Gardiner became the first towns in Maine to be designated as historical communities on Wednesday.

The designations came from Preserve America, a White House initiative spearheaded by Laura Bush, whose mission is to encourage communities to preserve their cultural heritage.

Twenty-eight cities, towns and communities nationwide were recognized Wednesday, bringing the total to about 300 communities in 45 states that have received Preserve America designations since the program’s inception three years ago.

“Preservation is about revitalizing the spirit of a community,” Anita McBride, Laura Bush’s chief of staff, told community representatives at the ceremony.

The awards reception was sponsored in part by the Historic Preservation Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives. Designees from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Department of the Interior, both organizations that administer a large portion of Preserve America, also attended the event.

Preserve America’s goals are to strengthen historical education and local pride while supporting local economies.

“It’s nice to know that whatever you’re doing to protect and preserve and utilize your historical assets does rise to their standards,” said David Jackson, director of the Conservancy for Camden Harbor Park and Amphitheatre. Jackson attended Wednesday’s ceremony to accept the designation certificate for the town.

As a designated community, Camden also receives a national park road sign with the Preserve America logo, and the program’s official Web site, PreserveAmerica.gov, features a description of Camden with links to the town and the Chamber of Commerce.

Bruce Milhans, spokesman for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, said that “heritage tourism” – visiting a town to tour its historical sites – is a growing trend.

“Heritage tourists stay longer, spend more [and] extend their visits to communities or areas when they encounter things that interest them,” Milhans said.

Tourists are “going to go to Preserve America communities because they know that these are places where they can go and experience heritage assets that they wouldn’t know about otherwise,” he added.

Camden, which has a population of 5,300, was settled in 1769. It soon prospered as a shipbuilding and wool-manufacturing town.

To get a town designated a Preserve America community, a representative must complete a series of application essays about how the town protects and promotes its historic resources. In the Camden application, Jackson wrote that the town “recognizes its historic roots as a coastal town each August with its annual Windjammer days,” a celebration of the town’s sailing ships. Some of the ships are original and some are replicas.

Gardiner did not have anyone present to accept the designation certificate. Jackson said that his employer, the not-for-profit Conservancy for Camden Harbor Park and Amphitheater, could not afford to send him, but that the town manager paid for much of his trip from her own personal travel account.

“It does show that we made an extra effort,” Jackson said of Camden.

This year, for the first time, Preserve America will offer competitive grants totaling $5 million. Designated communities or those in the process of designation that are willing to match the funds may apply for individual grants of $20,000 to $150,000. The grants aim to help the communities advance their economies, develop inventive tourism programs and provide historical documentation that tells a story to enhance the local visitor experience. The application deadline is Dec. 16.

Jackson said he plans to apply for a grant to do the research necessary before he can nominate the Camden Harbor Amphitheater as a national historic landmark.