Honoring Agnes Kane Callum

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 would have been Trustee Emeritus Agnes Kane Callum’s 101st birthday. Each year, we celebrate this brilliant, dedicated woman and the enduring legacy she has left on Historic Sotterley and Maryland as a whole.

A genealogist, historian, and researcher, Agnes took pride in her roots. In 1969, at the age of 44, she returned to school and earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Social Sciences from Morgan State University. During her undergraduate years, she wrote a paper for a Black History class titled “The Acquisition of Land by Free Blacks in St. Mary’s County Maryland.” This paper and the research required would be the start of her journey into unearthing her family history from slavery to post-emancipation. Not long after, she would find that her great grandfather, Hilary Kane, who was enslaved at Sotterley from 1848 until the abolishment of slavery. Her grandfather, Henry Kane, was born enslaved at Sotterley.

She published her first book, Kane-Butler Genealogy—History of a Black Family, in 1979. It would be the first of more than 25 works of genealogical research and family histories that she completed. Three years later, in 1982, she founded a black genealogical journal, Flower of the Forest, which was named after the land her grandparents had purchased in St. Mary’s County. The journal ran for 25 years.

Her work—which included looking through countless documents like census records, wills, estate inventories, and more—not only unearthed her family’s story; it provided the foundation for future Sotterley descendants to uncover their own family histories pre- and post-emancipation. Thanks in large part to Agnes, Historic Sotterley’s descendant community now includes more than 300 self-reported and registered descendants.

Agnes’s impact on Historic Sotterley didn’t end with research, though. In 1990, she joined the Board of Trustees. She took the role of Trustee seriously, becoming a national advocate for Historic Sotterley and interpreting history through a holistic lens—an approach that we still value today. She and another Trustee, John Hanson Briscoe, who was the descendant of the family that owned Sotterley while the Kanes were enslaved there, joined forces to tell a powerful story. Together, they showed the world that we can preserve the history of their ancestors, interpret that history with honesty and inclusivity, and connect with each other through our shared humanity.

Agnes was also instrumental in helping to raise $30,000 dollars in matching funds for a grant to save Historic Sotterley’s 1830s Slave Quarters. When she and her family first visited, the Slave Quarters were in disrepair and unsafe to enter. Thanks to her dedication to preserving it, the building has since been restored and is available for visitors to step inside and experience the history. Her efforts also lead to the creation of the Slavery to Freedom tour and other educational programs, ensuring that the Slave Quarters were a crucial and central part of the site’s interpretation. Combined with her research into the history of her family and all those who lived and labored at Sotterley, this was instrumental in presenting history through the perspective of resistance, resilience, perseverance, and strength.

Agnes Kane Callum was, without a doubt, one of the most impactful figures to touch Historic Sotterley and help mold it to the organization it is today. We honor and thank her for her contributions and continue her legacy of honoring our roots and preserving the stories of our ancestors.