Lecture on "War of 1812: Chesapeake’s Forgotten War"

In recognition of the approaching bicentennial of the War of 1812, this year’s Chaney Visiting Scholar Public Lecture at St. Mary’s College of Maryland will describe what the war meant to Marylanders and its impact on the Chesapeake Bay region. Author David Healey’s lecture, “1812 in the Maryland Imagination: A star-spangled exploration,” will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31, at Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary’s Hall. Copies of his book, 1812: Rediscovering Chesapeake Bay's Forgotten War, will be for sale at the book-signing after the lecture.

Healey, an English professor at Cecil College, has written about the people of the Chesapeake Bay for a number of publications, including authoring three Civil War novels and two non-fiction books. “While it can be difficult to make a connection with those who lived and fought so long ago,” said Healey, “we will explore how imagination can play a role in understanding what our “Second War of Independence” meant to Marylanders of the era.”

For more information on War of 1812 attractions, activities, and events in Southern Maryland (and throughout the state), visit http://starspangled200.org/Pages/Home.aspx.

Speaker Series: Ralph Eshelman, Ph.D. - "Vestiges of the War of 1812 Along the Patuxent”

Sotterley Plantation, in partnership with The Boeing Company, will proudly present Dr. Ralph Eshelman as part of the 2010 Speaker Series on October 22 at 7 p.m. Widely published, he lectures on military and maritime history, polar exploration, geology and paleontology. His lecture on The War of 1812 in the Chesapeake Bay area, focusing specifically upon our area of Southern Maryland, will be based on research disclosed in his recently published book, The War of 1812 in the Chesapeake: A Reference Guide to Historic Sites in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

The former Director of the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland, Dr. Eshelman worked as a Research Associate in the Department of Paleobiology at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. He is active in several professional and civic organizations including past president of the Council of American Maritime Museums, American Association for Quaternary Environment, founding vice-president of the National Maritime Preservation Task Force of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, vice-president for Science and Stewardship of the Maryland-Washington D.C. Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Society for Historical Archaeology, Patuxent Riverkeeper, and Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Research interests have taken Dr. Eshelman all over the globe. He is the owner of Eshelman & Associates, a cultural resource management consultancy firm and partner in a lighthouse preservation firm. He is a consultant to the National Park Service. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan with a major in geology and vertebrate paleontology and a minor in ecology.

This event is free to the public. Please call Sotterley Plantation for reservations: 301-373-2280.  To learn more, visit http://www.sotterley.org/.

Sotterley Plantation's Holiday Events

Sotterley Plantation has two great events coming up this weekend to get you and your family into the holiday spirit: Holiday Candlelight Tours and A Family Plantation Christmas.

Holiday Candlelight Tours
Kick-off the holiday season with a historical dramatization of life at Sotterley during The War of 1812 in the Holiday Candlelight Tours at Sotterley Plantation, December 4th & 5th from 6 p.m.–10 p.m. The tours take place inside the over 300 year old historic Mansion, which will be graced with period decorations.

The plot for this year's tour is that Sotterley is under siege by the British occupation. The family is determined to hold their annual holiday celebration no matter what! Family and friends join the Platers for a very entertaining evening which will be quite different than holiday celebrations experienced in previous years. Join the Sotterley Players as they step back in time and witness for yourself the unfolding dramatic holiday events.

Live musical performances from local premiere high school choral groups and complimentary cookies will be available in the historic Barn, prior to the reserved tour time.  Reservations are required.
 
A Family Plantation Christmas
Family Plantation Christmas will be held on Saturday, December 5th, 2009 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Sotterley Plantation, offering a full day of wonderment and Christmas spirit!

Let Santa know what you want for Christmas, purchase scrumptious treats from Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen, take a horse-drawn carriage ride, sing along with the carolers, make holiday crafts, get your face painted, see what you can find at the Scavenger Hunt in the garden, visit the Sotterley Museum Shop to find unique holiday gifts while the children are buying presents at Santa’s Secret Shop, and purchase seasonal greens and hand-crafted items from Sotterley’s Garden Guild! Back by popular demand, Sandi English will perform “Mammy Reminiscence,” giving a glimpse into how slaves celebrated this holiday.

To make reservations or get more information, contact Sotterley Plantation at 800-681-0850 or 301-373-2280 or visit http://www.sotterley.org/.  Also, be sure to check out Sotterley Plantation's new blog at http://www.sotterleyplantation.blogspot.com/ for information about news and other upcoming events!