Join us virtually on Wednesday, April 19th, for the second of our two connected events featuring two individuals who were transformative in shaping Historic Sotterley, their communities, and our State. April was the birth month of Trustee Emeritus John Hanson Briscoe, former Maryland Circuit Court Judge, Maryland Speaker of the House, and staunch advocate for Historic Sotterley. This event will feature a panel to discuss his life, his work, and the impact he had on Sotterley and our community. Our panel for the evening will include Jan Briscoe, Sam Baldwin, the Honorable James Kenney and Michael Whitson. Senator Ben Cardin has also been invited to join the event to share his remembrances of the man he knew so well.

John Hanson Briscoe was born on April 10, 1934. In his lifetime as a St. Mary’s County resident, he served as a Member and Speaker of the House of Delegates and County Administrative Judge, and served on many County, State and National commissions and boards for the betterment of our communities and their citizens. He always advocated the need to remember our past with historical preservation, to protect and conserve our natural resources and environment, and was instrumental in the passage of state civil rights laws. In his time on the Historic Sotterley Board of Trustees, he advocated strongly for the preservation of Sotterley so that it could continue to share its history with the world.

John worked closely with Agnes Kane Callum, who was honored in part one of our series in February, and their friendship and mutual respect laid the foundation for Historic Sotterley’s Decendants Project today. Together this extraordinary pair created a powerful duo who helped to save Sotterley, but just as importantly, worked to ensure that this irreplaceable site tells an inclusive and honest history.

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