"1878: After the Storm" - Take a Ghost Tour at Sotterley

This year’s Ghosts of Sotterley Tour will take guests back in time to the year 1878, when Sotterley was owned by Dr. Walter Hanson Stone Briscoe and his wife, Emeline. The family’s enjoyment of prosperity, good friends, county notoriety, and living the good life has been interrupted. A vicious hurricane has swept up the East Coast causing a shipwreck at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Briscoe has been called upon to treat the survivors. The plantation is reeling from the disaster and teeming with uninvited visitors - the restless spirits of the newly departed as well as the spirits of those long past who have been unsettled by the upheaval. Prepare to encounter both the earthly inhabitants of the time and those not of this earth on this historical and spooky walking tour!

New for 2011 – Additional Tour Nights! This year’s tours will run on October 13, 14, and 15th AND October 21 and 22nd.

Advance reservations are required. Sotterley Plantation cannot accommodate walk-ins. Tour times will begin at 7 p.m. and run every ten minutes. The tours may not be suitable for young children. Please dress appropriately for this spooky outdoor walking tour / production.

Tickets are $13 per person and may be purchased online at http://www.sotterley.org/. Group rates are available by calling Sotterley Plantation's office at 301-373-2280.

Web Design Firm Chosen for New Tourism Website

The web design firm CDF Web Solutions of Rockville, Maryland has been selected as the developer of the new St. Mary’s County Division of Tourism Web site.  The Web site will be developed as a partnership between the St. Mary’s County Division of Tourism, CDF Web Solutions and the St. Mary’s County Department of Information Technology.

CDF Web Solutions designed the Montgomery County Conference and Visitors Bureau Web site, which was the recipient of the Maryland Tourism Council’s 2010 Best Electronic Marketing Award.  The Division of Tourism is excited to be working with CDF and their project partner Enten Marketing.  Together, the firms bring impressive strategic and marketing capabilities that will help refine the county’s tourism message, attract more visitors and increase business within the industry.

The St. Mary’s County Division of Tourism website, www.visitstmarysmd.com, promotes St. Mary’s County as a visitor destination and tourism and hospitality-related businesses in St. Mary’s County. 

History Underground: Archaeology Weekend at HSMC

Get the scoop on what’s underground at Historic St. Mary’s City during Tidewater Archaeology Weekend, July 23 and 24! Discover what it’s like to be an archaeologist exploring one of the nation’s best-preserved colonial archaeology sites.

Take a tour of excavations at the home of Maryland’s first governor site and discover what stains in the soil reveal about Maryland’s history. Work alongside the pros as they recover artifacts, bits of Maryland’s past, by screening excavated soil. An exhibit of artifacts recovered from the site will be on display. Those who follow the chief archaeologist’s blog about this year’s findings may see some of the pieces they’ve been reading about. Check out the blog at (www.stmaryscity.org/Archaeology/Dispatch.html).

Sign up for a tour of the Archaeology Laboratory when you arrive at the Visitor Center (18751 Hogaboom Lane), and discover what happens to artifacts after they are recovered. This is the only time the lab is open to the public and space is limited. Tours begin at 11:00, 1:00, 2:30, or 4:00.

At 2 p.m., meet Historic St. Mary's City’s director of research, Dr. Henry Miller, at the Margaret Brent Gazebo for a one-hour walking tour. Find out how Historic St. Mary’s City has reconstructed buildings that stood some 375 years ago using scant clues assembled by archaeologists and historians.

This summer’s excavations focus on the back yard of the Calvert House, built by Maryland’s first governor, Leonard Calvert, in the first few years of the settlement. The Calvert House served as the first state house and the largest inn in St. Mary’s. In 1645, the house was the headquarters for a rebellion against Lord Baltimore and a fort, named “Mr. Pope’s Fort,” was built around it. When Governor Calvert retook the colony in 1646, he regained the house and filled in the fort ditch. Calvert died in the house in 1647.

The site is open between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on each day of the event. Special activities are included in museum admission ($10 adults; $9 seniors; and $6 youth. Children 5 years and under visit free.) Food and beverages will be available for purchase from vendors.

For more information about the museum, archaeology, or this event, visit http://www.stmaryscity.org/ or call 240-895-4990 or 800-SMC-1634.

Fitzmaurice to Perform at CSM's Twilight Performance Series

Returning to the College of Southern Maryland’s fifth anniversary Twilight Performance Series will be local band, Fitzmaurice! Formed in 2006 by identical twins Maria and Sarah Fitzmaurice, Brandon Snelling and Mike Simms, Fitzmaurice has a unique style with influences from bluegrass, country, jazz, classical, international folk and classic rock.


In addition to providing vocals for the group, Maria Fitzmaurice plays the guitar and Sarah Fitzmaurice plays the bass. Snelling plays the mandolin, with Simms on the banjo and Aaron Malone on the fiddle. Newly added to the ensemble are drums played by multi-instrumentalist, producer, Grammy-nominated recording engineer, singer and song writer, Jeff Covert.

Fitzmaurice is currently No. 29 on the Roots Music Report nationwide for bluegrass and No. 2 in the state of Maryland for all genres. They recently signed with Infindel Records, a record label based in Hoboken, NJ.

For the College of Southern Maryland’s fifth Twilight Performance Series, Fitzmaurice performs July 12 at the Leonardtown Campus. For more information on Fitzmaurice visit their website at http://www.reverbnation.com/fitzmauriceband or their facebook fanpage at http://www.facebook.com/fitzmaurice.band.

Other bands to perform in July at Twilight will be Adrian Duke’s Jazztet and Another Level. Performances take place at the Leonardtown Campus on Tuesdays, July 12, 19 and 26. All performances will begin at 6:45 p.m.

In the event of inclement weather, performances will move indoors. On the Leonardtown Campus, performances will move to Building A in the Auditorium.

Food and beverages will be available to purchase from Chick-fil-A on the Leonardtown campus. For menu and pricing visit www.csmd.edu/arts/TwilightSeries.

In its fifth season the Twilight Performance Series is a free, family-friendly evening of entertainment held on each campus. For information on the Twilight Performance Series, call 301-934-7703 or visit www.csmd.edu/arts.

CSM’s campuses are accessible to patrons with disabilities. Audio description for the visually impaired and sign language interpretation for the hearing impaired are available with a minimum two week advanced notice. If you are interested in these services, please contact the academic support/ADA coordinator at 301-934-7614.

Joseph McGill to Speak at Sotterley Plantation - "Slave Cabin Project"



Historian Joseph McGill, Program
Officer for the National Trust for
Historic Preservation, adds Sotterley
Plantation's original 1830's Slave
Cabin to his "Slave Cabin Project",
as he continues his journey
throughout the Southeast.



Sotterley Plantation is presenting Joseph McGill's "Slave Cabin Project" on Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 1:00 p.m., as part of the 2011 Speaker Series at Sotterley.

The night prior to Joseph McGill's Sunday presentation, he will spend the evening in our original 1830's Slave Cabin. For the last year, he has been making his way throughout the Southeast sleeping in these historic structures in order to honor the memory of all the people who lived in these cabins and to bring much-needed attention and resources to slave cabin restoration. In a recent interview with NPR, McGill said, "You get inside these walls and you think about that time of slavery and wonder what went through these people's minds, because within these walls was probably the easiest time of their lives. We know that beyond those walls there was a lot of hard work and toil."

The Sotterley Speaker Series events are free to the public. Please call for reservations, as seating is limited: 301-373-2280. 

For more information, visit the links below:

http://mtairy.patch.com/articles/cliveden-opens-its-servants-quarters-for-the-first-time-in-its-history

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110514/ARTICLES/110519748/1005/sports?Title=-No-heading-
http://articles.boston.com/2011-05-26/travel/29587103_1_slave-quarters-urban-slave-property-owners

http://www.fox8live.com/content/news/heartoflouisiana/story/Heart-of-Louisiana-Evergreen-Plantation/y2Z0NCfdtkeWfzK06l0GDw.cspx

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129281290

http://www.presnc.org/Preservation-News-Roundup/Slave-Cabin-Project

http://www.visitlexingtonmo.com/images/file/SlaveCabinProject.pdf

http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=18850

4th of July Festivities in St. Mary's County

St. Mary's County has a number of events over the 4th of July weekend where you can enjoy live music, fireworks, and time with family and friends.

Independence Day Weekend: Thomas Jefferson in his own words - River Concert Series

The Chesapeake Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Jeffrey Silberschlag will offer readings from Thomas Jefferson set to music and lots of festive, patriotic music, plus a salute to Naval Aviation's 100th Anniversary during the River Concert Series on July 1!  There will also be fireworks at the end of the concert.  The concert begins at 7 p.m. at St. Mary's College of Maryland on the lawn of the Townhouse Green.  Food and beverages will be available for purchase.  For more information, call 240-895-4107 or visit http://www.riverconcertseries.org/.  

Independence Day Celebration - Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department

On July 2, the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department will be holding it's Independence Day Celebration from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.!  There will be a variety of food vendors; a car, truck and bike show; kids games; live music by The Craze and HydraFX; and fireworks.  The cost is $5 per vehicle for spectators parking all day.  For more information, call 301-373-2900 or click here to view the flyer.

An Independence Day Celebration Concert - Sotterley Plantation

Sotterley Plantation is holding its annual Independence Day Celebration Concert on July 3 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.!  The event features the patriotic music renditions of the Chesapeake Orchestra Brass Quintet led by Maestro Jeffrey Silberschlag of St. Mary's College of Maryland.  Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch, lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy a wonderful afternoon of music on the Portico amidst the breathtaking view of the Patuxent River.  Bruster's Real Ice Cream, "On A Roll," and Sir Pops A Lots will be selling concessions.  There will also be a brown bag raffle, silent auction, and childrens activities.  All those with Military ID and their families are invited to celebrate this event free of charge.  General admission is $10 per vehicle.  For more information, call 301-373-2280 or visit http://www.sotterley.org/.

Experience Military Life at a Confederate Encampment at Cecil's Old Mill

Historian John Griffin wrote, "It is said that the first casualty of war is truth and that the victors write and perpetuate the history. There are two sides to every story, two sides to a conflict, and while it would seem simple to record and report history, it has always been open to different interpretations. Somewhere along the line the Southern perspective has been obscured." The Sons of Confederate Veterans is an organization dedicated preserving and presenting the Southern perspective to the War Between The States.


On Saturday, June 18th at the Cecil's Historic District in Great Mills, Maryland, the life of the Southern soldier in 1861 will be recreated during the SCV Camp #1359, Captain Vincent Camalier Encampment. Members of SCV Camp #1359 will faithfully recreate an encampment of 10 canvas tents, authentically furnished in 19th century military style. Using their historically accurate uniforms, weapons, and equipment, camp members will educate visitors on the history of the war as experienced by the Southern soldier.

The day will begin with the Striking of the Colors by the SCV Honor Guard. Throughout the day there will be black powder firing demonstrations, campfire cooking exhibits, and tours of the soldiers sleeping quarters. There will also be an opportunity for kids to play some of the popular children's games from that time. Folksinger Bob Simmons will perform many of his original songs about the history of St. Mary's. There will be live bluegrass music from 1-3 p.m. on the front porch of Cecil's Country Store, and storyteller/historian, J.B. Couch will be on hand to delight visitors with his talents. Tasty food and cool drinks will be available for sale by the Optimist Club, with ice cream across the street at the Old Mill.

While at the encampment, visitors can also tour Cecil's Old Mill. Located in one of Maryland’s first Industrial Districts, Cecil's Mill was originally built as a cotton/ textile factory in the 1800's. It was later transformed into a grist mill and saw mill. After restoration in the late 70's, Cecil's Old Mill became a National Landmark in Historic St. Mary's County. Today, the mill exhibits artifacts including its working water wheel, and is home to some of the finest local arts and handmade crafts for sale. The historic district also includes Cecil’s Country Store and Post Office.

Cecil's Old Mill is located at 20854 Indian Bridge Road, Great Mills, MD. The encampment will be open to the public between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 18th, 2011. For more information on Cecil's Old Mill, call 301-994-1510 or visit their Facebook page.

For additional information, contact Dawna Wible at 301-994-9622. Questions may be e-mailed to Dawna at dmwible@md.metrocast.net.