The Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area (HCWHA) is an area rich in history, covering portions of Carroll, Frederick and Washington Counties. It is located just below the Mason-Dixon Line, generally viewed as the dividing line between North and South. With one foot in the north, and one foot in the south, the story of the Civil War, its causes, battles, heroes and villains … its very meaning can be told nowhere better than in this part of Maryland.