Sotterley

Airport Farmer's Market
2022-08-14 09:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | SMC Regional Airport
Come shop local at the Airport Farmer’s Market for unique goods to enhance your summer meals! You don’t need an airplane to come – you can drive, walk, or bike also! There will be a bounty of locally grown and produced items to please one and all. The market runs 9am to 1pm on August 14th.
Sotterley is sponsoring this unique market at the Airport Terminal building located at 44200 Airport Road, California, Maryland. Located in St. Mary’s County, the airport is about four miles northeast of the central business district of Leonardtown.

Vendors:

Moonstruck Oysters
Dixon Family Farm
Olga’s Cakes
Olivin’s Olive Oils & Balsamic Vinegars
Unforgoatable goods
Beez Knees (Ice Cream!)
Boon Doggie Farm
Zekiah Farms
Intoxi-Cake-Tion
Achterberg Acres (brining seasonal produce!)
Tobacco Barn Distillery
Mully’s Brewery
Free State Ciders
Gigi’s treats
Nativo Spices & Empanadas!
Sotterley (Growing for Good)

Bug-a-Palooza
2022-08-15 10:00 - 12:00, 2022-08-16 10:00 - 12:00, 2022-08-17 10:00 - 12:00, 2022-08-18 10:00 - 12:00, 2022-08-19 10:00 - 12:00 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
Become a citizen scientist with a study in insect and bugology! Have close encounters of the crawling and flying kind in Sotterley’s Tidewater environment. Discover different creatures each day from 10:00 am to 12 pm. Enjoy the rest of your day with a Sotterley signage Seek-and-Find. Check in at the Visitor Center, then meet at the Warehouse overhang to begin each day’s adventure.
Aug. 15 – Bees
Aug. 16 – Butterflies
Aug. 17 – Beetles
Aug. 18 – Crickets, Grasshoppers, and Praying Mantids
Aug. 19 – Bug Wannabees
$5 per person, 3 and under free. Suggested Ages: 4 and Up!
Sotterley members are FREE! Consider joining our Sotterley family—a $65 Family membership allows you to get into our summer programming for free, and you can also take a tour as often as you like or simply come and enjoy the grounds all year! Added bonus—you will be supporting this historic site and its important mission of preserving our past and serving our community as an exceptional cultural and educational resource.
Purchase tickets and memberships at Sotterley’s Visitor Center. No registration required.
Activities happen rain or shine. Dress for the weather! Wear walking shoes.

Day of Unity and Healing – a Celebration and Remembrance of African American Spirit and Culture
2022-08-20 09:30 - 17:00 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
Join Historic Sotterley for our Day of Unity and Healing – a Celebration and Remembrance of African American Spirit and Culture. On August 20, 2022, we will remember, honor, and celebrate African American history, culture, and heritage. This all-day event remembers those that perished on the transatlantic voyage aboard the Generous Jenny, honors our ancestral connections and celebrates the strength, resilience, and courage we find inside ourselves today. This will be a day of gospel music, spoken word performances, and living history experiences. As a UNESCO Site of Memory for Routes of Enslaved Peoples, Historic Sotterley will not only commemorate our shared past, allowing us to remember and memorialize our history, but bring us together to celebrate our vision for a future of racial unity and hope. All are welcome, and mark your calendars for a truly amazing event.

Day of Unity and Healing will occur rain or shine! We will have some tents to protect guests, but recommend a rain jacket or umbrella for moving between areas if the forecast is looking rainy on Saturday.

This event is made possible by the generous support of Richard and Julia Moe, Baldwin Briscoe & Steinmetz, PNC Bank, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation through the National Endowment for the Humanities’ American Rescue Plan Humanities Grantmaking for Organizations.

If you’re participating in this event, please use the hashtag #DayofUnity2022 to post pictures and thoughts from the day on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn!

Schedule
Remembrance Ceremony @ 10:00 am
Welcome Janice Briscoe, Historic Sotterley Board of Trustee President, Sotterley Descendent
Introduction of MC Janice Walthour, Interim President, NAACP – Nancy Easterling, Executive Director, Historic Sotterley
Piscataway Clan Tribe Land Acknowledgement, Francis Gray, Piscataway Conoy Tribal Chair
Native American Water Blessing and Thanksgiving Prayer – Janel Turner, Native American Women Warriors
Call to Prayer/Shofar – Josh Grossman
Blessing – Liz Mildenstein, Congregation Sha’are Shalom President
First Missionary Baptist Church Men’s Chorus
African American Ancestral Libation Ceremony – Janice Curtis Green, Commissioner on the Maryland Commission of African American History and Culture, American Griot as Harriet Tubman
Prayer for Descendants connected to Historic Sites – Reverend Dante Eubanks, New Covenant Christian Worship Center, Pastor, Sotterley Descendent
Middle Passage Poem (by Robert Hayden) Travis Mitchell, Senior Vice-President Chief Content Officer, Maryland Public Television
Middle Passage Project – Ann Cobb, Executive Director, Middle Passage Port Marker’s Project
Sotterley’s Journey to becoming a site of Remembrance – Jeanne Pirtle
First Missionary Baptist Church Men’s Chorus
Release of flowers by children at Creekside
Spoken Word by Zenobia Dyson, Founder, Spoken Colors Evangelism Ministry
Prayer for Racial Unity – Dr. Wilson Morales, Encounter Christian Center Lead Pastor
New Covenant House of Prayer Children’s Worship Ministry
Dedication @ the Slave Cabin @ 11:30 am
Welcome Janice Briscoe, Historic Sotterley Board of Trustee President, Sotterley Descendent
Introduction Nancy Easterling, Executive Director, Historic Sotterley
Prayer and Reflection -Dr. Francine Dove – Hawkins,
Harriet Tubman Narrative – Janice Curtis Green, Commissioner on the Maryland Commission of African American History and Culture, American Griot
St Peter Claver Gospel Choir Worship Ministry
Dedication of Benches -Gwendoline Bankins, Historic Secretary Board of Trustees, Sotterley Descendent
Comments and Remarks: Nancy Easterling, Janice Briscoe, Dr. Martina P. Callum, M.D., Sotterley Descendant
African Libation for those who were enslaved – Dr. Francine Dove- Hawkins
Community opportunity to pour libations for their ancestors
St Peter Claver Gospel Choir worship selection to move up Rolling Road to main level
Afternoon break 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Food Truck
Manor House – Open House Tours
Living History Experience (North Gatehouse/Schoolhouse)
Colonial Revival Garden Talks
Land, Lives and Labor Exhibit (Corn Crib)
Waterman and Tobacco Farming Exhibit (Pavilion)
African American Quilt Displays (Barn)
Community Partners (Barn)
Creative Expressions (Barn)
Stone Legacy Art Project – Painting Project for Children (Near Visitor Center)
Visitor Center/Museum Store Open
MedStar St. Mary’s Health Connections
St. Mary’s County Health Department Outreach
Celebration of the African American Spirit and Culture @ 2:30 pm
2:15 pm to 2:30 pm Southern Maryland Community Mass Choir
Welcome – Janice Briscoe, Historic Sotterley Board of Trustee President, Sotterley Descendent
Introduction of Afternoon MC, Maya Davis, Director of the Riversdale House Museum – Nancy Easterling, Executive Director, Historic Sotterley
Sotterley’s Story – Donald Barber, Historic Sotterley Board Trustee, Sotterley Descendant
Prayer – Gwendoline Bankins, Historic Secretary Board of Trustees, Sotterley Descendent
The African American Spirit – Janice Curtis Green, Commissioner on the Maryland Commission of African American History and Culture, American Griot as Harriet Tubman
The journey endured by our enslaved ancestors – Jerome Spears, Sotterley Descendant
Ringing of the Bell by pre-arranged Descendant Family Groups
Lift Every Voice – Southern Maryland Community Mass Choir
Keynote Speaker – Maryland State Senator Michael Jackson
Call to Action Education/History – Dr. Tuajuanda Jordan, President, St Mary’s College of Maryland
Ancestry Call to Action – Angela Wilson, Sotterley Descendant
Importance of accuracy and verification of facts with ancestry – Dante Eubanks, Sotterley Descendant
What it means to be involved as a Descendant at an Historic Site -Gwendoline Bankins
Introduction of “Sotterley: Talking and Walking Common Ground” – Merideth Taylor, Film Writer/Director, former member Historic Sotterley Board of Trustees
Film Premiere – “Sotterley: Talking and Walking Common Ground”
Invitation to give voice to our enslaved ancestors through Roll call (community)
Winners of Creative Expressions Contest announced
Southern Maryland Community Mass Choir worship selections
Closing Remarks – Nancy Easterling
Prayer – Pastor Wesley Mackall, Lead Pastors of Love Temple Church

Creative Expressions Contest
As a part of this event, we will be holding a Creative Expressions Contest to honor the themes of the day.
Winners of the contest will receive a cash prize, and all submitted work will be on loan for a year to be displayed at Historic Sotterley and any libraries or galleries we partner with. Artists will be notified of public exhibits of their work, and the art will be returned to them at the end of the year. There is no entry fee for submission. See below for requirements, themes, and categories.
For questions or details on submitting your work, please contact Gwen Bankins at msgwen623@gmail.com
Requirements:

All artwork or creative expressions must be original
A completed packet of required forms must be turned in with submission
Artists under 18 years of age may enter, but a parent or legal guardian must sign a release form
No offensive, derogatory, disparaging, or inappropriate references to any group or person
No unlawful material or content in violation of state or local law
No third-party advertisements, logos, slogans, trademarks, or characters

Themes:

From Slavery to Freedom
The link between slavery and racism
Southern Maryland and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
The Underground Railroad
Tobacco Farming and Southern Maryland
Racial Unity
Overcoming Racial Injustice

Categories:

Written Essay, Spoken Word, or Poetry
Drawings, Paintings, Posters, Storyboards
Photographs (Photo release required)
Mixed Media (Digital) / Multi-media / performance art
Woodwork, Sculptures (weight not to exceed 20 lbs)

Aeropark Farmer's Market
2022-09-11 09:00 - 13:00 | MD
The next “Fly-In” Market will be help on September 11th, but you don’t need a plane to visit! Drive, bike, or walk in to get fresh goods and produce. All businesses selling at our Airport Farmer’s Market are local small businesses that sell products that they have grown or produced themselves. When you shop local, up to 68% of the money you spend stays in the community, so come help support the wonderful entrepreneurs that make Maryland unique. The market runs from 9am – 1pm and is located indoors so you can enjoy watching the planes go by while beating the summer heat.
Sotterley is sponsoring this unique market at the Airport Terminal building located at 44200 Airport Road, California, Maryland. Located in St. Mary’s County, the airport is about four miles northeast of the central business district of Leonardtown.

Vendors:

Boon Doggie Farm
Dixon Family Farm
Mully’s Brewery
Blue Wind
Achterberg Acres
No Guarantees Bakery
Olivin’s Olive Oils & Balsamic Vinegars
Double TT Oysters
Olga’s Cakes
Free State Ciders
Unforgoatable goods
Beez Knees (Ice Cream!)
Zekiah Farms (seasonal produce)
Intoxi-Cake-Tion
Tobacco Barn Distillery
Nativo Spices (Empanadas & take home pizza!)
The Garden International (mushrooms)
Sotterley (Growing for Good – sweet potatoes & potatoes)

Sotterley Presents: People and Perspectives - Hidden in Plain Sight with Matthew Webster
2022-09-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual
Matthew Webster
Executive Director of the Grainger Department of Architectural Preservation and Research for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Discovery and Restoration of Williamsburg’s Bray School
Wednesday, September 14th, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
____________________________________________________________________________
Click here to Register!
On September 29, 1760 the Associates of Dr. Bray in London established a school for the education of enslaved and free Black children in Williamsburg, Virginia. The school was one of the original four, with others located in Providence, New York, and Philadelphia. The school would operate until 1774 when a combination of the passing of teacher Ann Wager and increasing tensions with England caused the school to close. The building now stands as the earliest surviving school dedicated to Black education in North America. This lecture will discuss the complexity of the history and research that allowed the building to remain “hidden in plain sight”, revealed its identity, and the restoration efforts at the Bray school today.
​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​Matthew Webster is the Executive Director of the Grainger Department of Architectural Preservation and Research for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. In this role he oversees the preservation of 603 structures in the National Landmark Historic Area, the 18,000 piece architectural fragment collection, architectural research, and historic interiors. Prior to Williamsburg he served as Director of Preservation at Drayton Hall (1754) in Charleston, South Carolina. He also served as Director of Restoration for George Washington’s Fredericksburg Foundation in Fredericksburg, Virginia where he oversaw the restoration of Kenmore (1770). Webster sits on the board of Falmouth Heritage Renewal in Falmouth, Jamaica, and on the advisory boards of Preservation Virginia, Stratford Hall and Menokin, in Virginia and Drayton Hall in South Carolina. He has consulted on projects throughout the eastern United States as well as internationally. He has taught at the University of Virginia and University of Mary Washington and lectures frequently on preservation, architecture, and history topics.
This presentation is made possible by the generous support of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
FREE WEBINAR for the public – Advance registration required.
Click here to Register!

Fall Kickoff Activities
2022-09-24 10:00 - 12:00 | MD
Historic Sotterley is kicking off the fall season with a variety of special activities on September 24th! Come visit us for family-friendly fun and education. September is National Honey Month, so you may notice a theme.
Activities run 10am – noon and are available for our regular $5/person grounds fee.

Visit from the RoboBees! The RoboBees are a robotics team from right here in St. Mary’s County and they’ll be visiting us to talk robotics and engineering while creating paper rockets with you!

Visit from Sol Nectar Farm! Sol Nectar Farm is a local apiary (bee farm) that will be visiting to talk about how they farm honey and all the unique behaviors that make bees so fascinating to raise!

Rock Painting! Get creative and channel everything you learned about bees and rockets into a beautiful rock painting.

We will also have a specialty tour available for purchase called “Fixer Upper” at 4 pm. You can read more about the tour and how to purchase tickets here.

Insider's Tour: "Fixer Upper"
2022-09-24 16:00 - 18:00 | MD
Historic Sotterley’s offering a NEW Insider’s Tour entitled, “Fixer Upper’
Join us for “Fixer Upper”- Explore how the views of the landowners shaped the architecture and the landscape of Sotterley. As your tour guide leads you through the Manor House, slave cabin, corn crib, and gardens, you will uncover how these spaces have changed over the centuries and how we preserve the buildings and grounds today.
Recommended for ages 16 & older. Walking and standing required. The historic house is not ADA compliant.
Advance reservations required – please no walk-ins. Limited to 18 people per tour.
Tour time: 4:00 pm (tour will last approx. 2 hours)
Please proceed to the Visitor Center to Check-in.
Proceeds from programming, membership and events support the education and preservation efforts of Historic Sotterley Plantation.
Purchase Tickets Here
All sales are final, no refunds.

Paying it Forward with Growing for Good - CANCELLED
2022-10-01 12:00 - 16:00, 2022-10-02 12:00 - 16:00 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
Growing for Good event CANCELLED for October 1st and 2nd, but Pumpkin Painting is Still a Go!

Historic Sotterley is sad to announce that we need to cancel our volunteer Growing for Good event this weekend. We were excited to have volunteers join us to sort, box, and distribute food to our food pantries, but our wonderful partners in the food pantries have let us know that many need to close due to the impending storm. Because of this, we will not have a way to distribute the food to those in need while it is still fresh.

On a happy note, our Pop-up event of mini-pumpkin painting for our youngest visitors is still a go! Check www.sotterley.org details and more information.

Growing for Good will continue in the upcoming weeks, however, and we will have produce that needs to be picked, sorted, and distributed throughout the month of October. We will have some new dates when we will be doing this once we can coordinate with our partners in Farmers Feeding Southern Maryland. If you are interested in helping us and are not already on our volunteer list, please email Kim at officemanager@sotterley.org, and she will add you to her volunteer email list so that you will know our plans.

We are so grateful to our generous community for helping us throughout the year with Growing for Good, and we hope that you can join us on our rescheduled dates as well as in the future. Together, we can come together to not only help support those who need it most, but we can do our part to help build a better community.

Saturday, October 1, 2022
Sunday, October 2, 2022
both days 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Earlier in the year our generous community stepped forward to help us plant acres of vegetables which Sotterley earmarked for donation to our local food banks and food pantries. After harvesting the goods, the time has come to share the goodies! Everyone willing to volunteer will be helping us “Pay it Forward”, directly supporting families in need in our community.
We need the extra hands to help sort and box the produce which is then to be picked up. Hopefully on the day you offer your help, we will be able to complete the task at hand for this wonderful project. This task at hand is recommeded for ages 12 and up.
Sign up to Volunteer Here!
Please sign up in advance so we know how many volunteers to expect. Head towards the Visitor Center and follow the “Growing for Good” directional signage down to a part of the site you probably didn’t even know existed.
Note: We recommend hats, gloves, sunscreen, bug spray, shoes and clothes you are not afraid to get dirty!

Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your start time to check-in.
If you have any questions or need assistance in any way, please do not hesitate to contact Kim Husick at officemanager@sotterley.org or 301-373-2280 x. 1105
Growing for Good
Growing Together!

October Pop-up Event - Mini Pumpkin Painting!
2022-10-01 12:00 - 16:00, 2022-10-02 12:00 - 16:00 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
As produce is being sorted and boxed on October 1st & 2nd to go out to our food pantries and those in need, we decided that we also want to share nature’s bounty with our youngest community members! For ages 13 and under, all children coming to Sotterley that day will get a free mini-pumpkin to do pumpkin painting so that they can take a little piece of Southern Maryland home with them! Be sure to make time to enjoy the beauty of Sotterley for the day while you are here. Normal ground fees apply, and remember that our members are free!

If you’re also interested in helping with the produce sorting and boxing, check out our volunteer information here!

Sotterley Presents: People and Perspectives with Victoria Christopher Murray
2022-10-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual
Victoria Christopher Murray
New York Times Bestselling Author
The Personal Librarian: The story of Belle da Costa Greene, personal librarian to J.P. Morgan
Wednesday, October 5th, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
____________________________________________________________________________
Click here to Register!
Victoria Christopher Murray is co-author of the instant New York Times Bestseller, The Personal Librarian. This work was based on the real personal librarian of J.P. Morgan, Belle da Costa Greene. A black woman who passed as white, Greene curated one the greatest collections of the Gilded Age. Murray will speak about her own life and work, and what we can learn from the story of this remarkable trusted woman that worked for one of the richest men that ever lived.
​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​Victoria Christopher Murray is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of more than 30 novels, including the New York Times Instant Best Seller, The Personal Librarian. She has been writing novels full-time for over twenty years.
Victoria originally self-published her first novel, Temptation and in 2000, Time Warner published that novel. Temptation made numerous bestsellers lists and remained on the Essence bestsellers list for nine consecutive months. In 2001, Victoria received her first NAACP Image Award nomination for Temptation.
Over her career, Victoria has received numerous awards including the Phyllis Wheatley Trailblazer Award, eleven African American Literary Awards and five NAACP Image Award nominations. In 2016, she won the Image Award for Outstanding Literature for her social commentary novel, Stand Your Ground.
​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​With almost two million books in print, Victoria is one of the country’s top African American contemporary authors.
This presentation is made possible by the generous support of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
FREE WEBINAR for the public – Advance registration required.
Click here to Register!

Family Activities in October
2022-10-07 10:00 - 16:00, 2022-10-08 10:00 - 16:00, 2022-10-09 12:00 - 16:00, 2022-10-14 10:00 - 16:00, 2022-10-15 10:00 - 16:00, 2022-10-16 12:00 - 16:00, 2022-10-21 10:00 - 16:00, 2022-10-22 10:00 - 16:00 and 2 more dates | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
Join Us the Month of October!
Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in October!
Historic Sotterley is offering a fun month for children. Pumpkin painting, games and activities are offered each weekend and are included in the normal grounds fee of $5 (or the normal guided tour fee), and children under 6 are free, as are Members! An extra bonus – children 12 and younger will receive their small pumpkin to paint for free!

Activities include:
Pumpkin Painting
Cornhole Toss
Sensory Bins
Farm Puzzles

Large Games:
Farming Football and Basketball

Please join us while supplies last!

AeroPark Farmer's Market
2022-10-09 09:00 - 13:00 | SMC Regional Airport
The next “Fly-In” Market will be help on October 9th, but you don’t need a plane to visit! Drive, bike, or walk in to get fresh goods and produce. All businesses selling at our Airport Farmer’s Market are local small businesses that sell products that they have grown or produced themselves. When you shop local, up to 68% of the money you spend stays in the community, so come help support the wonderful entrepreneurs that make Maryland unique. The market runs from 9am – 1pm and is located indoors so you can enjoy watching the planes go by while shopping rain or shine!
Sotterley is sponsoring this unique market at the Airport Terminal building located at 44200 Airport Road, California, Maryland. Located in St. Mary’s County, the airport is about four miles northeast of the central business district of Leonardtown.

Vendors:

Boon Doggie Farm
Dixon Family Farm
Mully’s Brewery
Blue Wind
Achterberg Acres
No Guarantees Bakery
Olivin’s Olive Oils & Balsamic Vinegars
Double TT Oysters
Olga’s Cakes
Free State Ciders
Unforgoatable goods
Beez Knees (Ice Cream!)
Zekiah Farms (seasonal produce)
Intoxi-Cake-Tion
Tobacco Barn Distillery
Nativo Spices (Empanadas & take home pizza!)
The Garden International (mushrooms)
Sotterley (Growing for Good – sweet potatoes & potatoes)
Bird Dog Bistro (Food, Coffee, Water)
All 4 Pawz (Mobile Dog Grooming)
Mobile Espresso Truck

Nightmare on Sotterley Lane
2022-10-21 19:00, 2022-10-22 19:00, 2022-10-28 19:00 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
October 21, 22, 28 & 29
Tour times start at 7:00pm

Sotterley is hosting a new event based on some of our favorite haunted and ghostly happenings from the past. Come and join us for Nightmare on Sotterley Lane! You will go on a walking tour of some of our favorite creepy spaces and places and be prepared to encounter both the earthly inhabitants and those not of this earth. Your self-guided tour will include walking on some uneven outdoor terrain, so wear appropriate footwear and weather gear since the event is rain or shine.

Guests will sign up for a 20-MINUTE window of time, and you can show up anytime during that 20-minute window to start your tour. Tickets are $15/person, and MUST be purchased in advance online.

*Produced by the FRIENDS OF SOTTERLEY and made possible by their generous donations of time and talent. *
Visit the Sotterley Museum Shop to purchase goodies for everyone on your holiday gift list!

Purchase Tickets Here!

This is a walking tour which includes going outside and through woods. Tours are held RAIN or SHINE! The tour route will include some hilly, rough and uneven terrain. Guests are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather and to wear footwear suitable for the conditions.
This is a self-guided walking tour production and will include spooky moments and special effects, maybe strobe lights. Some content may not be suitable for young children. Parents, please use your own discretion and be considerate of the others in your group when making the decision on whether to bring your child. This event is recommended for ages 8 and up. No strollers, walkers, or wheelchairs.
Proceeds from programming, membership and events support the education and preservation efforts of Historic Sotterley.
