June 25, 2026 – Join us for a special presentation in honor of America’s and Maryland’s 250th as historian and author Dave Brown explores the life and legacy of George Plater III, one of Maryland’s highly involved and influential early leaders. Through Dave’s research, this program illuminates Plater’s role in shaping the state and the nation during its formative years, while connecting his impact to the broader, complex history preserved at Historic Sotterley.

Port of Leonardtown Winery will be joining us for this event to bring you outstanding local wines to taste. Located in the heart of Leonardtown, Port of Leonardtown Winery is a community-driven winery working with a cooperative of 12 member vineyards to create high-quality, Southern Maryland-made wine. Since their start in 2010, they’ve won multiple best-in-show awards for their incredible wine varieties.

Participation in this event is free, but you will need to purchase a wine-tasting ticket to enjoy Port of Leonardtown Winery’s tastings during the event. Wine-tasting tickets are $20 and participants must be 21 or over.
All participants are welcome to join us to meet the speaker at the pre-reception at 6:30 pm with light refreshments.

Register to Attend In-Person

Register to Attend Virtually

Buy a Ticket for the Wine Tasting!

Dave Brown is a retired diplomat and university educator. Since 2000, he has volunteered as a docent at Sotterley and once served on its Board of Trustees. He has written books and articles related to Sotterley including Sotterley: Its People and Their Worlds (2010), George Plater of Sotterley (2014) and The Barber Family: From Slavery, Through Segregation and The Civil Rights Movement (2023) co-authored with Donald Barber, and The Kane Family: Slavery to Freedom at Sotterley (2025).