Sotterley

Winter Wonderland Wreath Workshops by the Sotterley Garden Guild
2025-12-06 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
December 6, 2025 – Have you tried DIY holiday décor projects before, but just couldn’t seem to pull it off? Great news, the Sotterley Garden Guild is offering wreath workshops on Saturday, December 6th to share their expertise! These beautiful wreaths are made with real foliage and are stunning pieces of décor that everyone will notice.
Only 16 participants per session and each session is 1 1/2 hours long.
Various times throughout the day available for you to choose from: 8:30, 10:30, 1:00 & 3:00
Make this Christmas event part of your family tradition!
Please Note: Bring your own gloves and clippers for the wreath workshops – other materials to be provided. Wreath workshops will be held in Historic Sotterley Maintenance Building. Guests are asked to arrive promptly for your workshop time and to proceed directly to the Maintenance Building across from the Visitor Center to check in. Visitors are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather and to wear foot gear suitable for the conditions as the site is kept rustic, although the workshop will be held indoors.
If you experience any trouble making your reservation for a workshop, please call the office at 301-373-2280 (9 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday) and we will be happy to help.
Purchase Tickets Here!

Partner Event - Historically Speaking: ​​​​​​​George Plater: St. Mary's Forgotten Patriot
2026-03-26 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | St. Mary’s College of Maryland Daugherty-Palmer Commons, 47720 College Dr., St Mary's City, MD, 20686, United States
March 26, 2026 – David Brown, adjunct professor, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
With over thirty-three years as a Foreign Service Officer, David Brown unfolds the story of this largely unknown patriot. George Plater was born and raised at Sotterley Plantation and is counted among the earliest of Maryland’s supporters of Independence. He represented Maryland in the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1780, and briefly served as the sixth Governor of Maryland in 1791 and 1792.
In this 250th Year of American Independence, encounter the story of a modest and, for our times, flawed man whose history deserves telling.
This event is being held live at St. Mary’s College of Maryland in partnership with the Center for the Study of Democracy and St. Mary’s County Historical Society. It is being offered as a free livestream thanks to a MD250 grant received by Historic Sotterley.

Register to attend in-person at SMCM
Register to attend virtually

The in-person portion of this event will be at:
Daugherty-Palmer Commons
St Mary’s college of Maryland
47720 College Dr.
St Mary’s City, MD 20686

Daffodil Planting Volunteer Opportunity
2026-03-28 10:00 - 12:00 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
March 28, 2026 – Calling all volunteers! We’re looking for help transplanting some daffodils from where the Homestead House originally stood to its new location on Historic Sotterley’s property and our Sacred Space. The daffodils are on a neighboring property, so you will not be expected to do additional travel.

Transplanting these daffodils that were planted near the 120-year-old homestead honors the families who once lived in the tenant farmer/sharecropper home. Originally planted by a mother who once lived there, the flowers are a living reminder of resilience, care, and legacy.

As they are moved to the new Homestead House and Sacred Space—together with the descendants of the family who first planted them—the community preserves a living piece of history. Each spring, these blooms will serve as a symbol of remembrance, renewal, and the enduring connection between Sotterley’s past and present.

If you would like to volunteer to help us, please sign up at the link below so we know how many volunteers to expect! It will be a fun day of digging in the dirt and enjoying the early spring flowers. Please dress for being outdoors and bring gloves if you have them.

Sign Up Here

Spring Break Activities
2026-03-30 - 2026-04-03 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
Historic Sotterley, Southern Maryland Folklife Center, St. Mary’s County Public Library, and author Nocola Williams are partnering for a week of low-cost activities during Spring Break to keep kids active and engaged in learning while having fun on their days off. Each day is a different activity for your family to enjoy. Explore how early Marylanders used the natural resources available to them to survive and thrive.
Registration is required for each day’s activity. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are $5 per attendee per day. Monday is free thanks to St. Mary’s County Public Library and a generous donation from an anonymous donor. All activities take place from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm each day.
Please note: Parents are required to purchase a ticket and stay with their children throughout the duration of the event. Activities are recommended for ages 3 and up.

SOLD OUT Monday – Pollinator Party!
Kick off the week with a celebration of pollinators! Children will meet a local author and beekeeper for a reading of Bugzee and the Bees, a story that introduces young readers to the important role pollinators play in our environment. After the story, students will rotate through hands-on learning stations. Campers will explore how pollination works, discover how bees see the world, practice the famous waggle dance, and plant pollinator-friendly seeds to take home. Along the way, they’ll learn why pollinators are so important to Southern Maryland’s ecosystems and how even kids can help protect them. Join local author and educator, Nocola Williams, the team from the St. Mary’s County Mobile Library, and educator Dorothy Birch for a fun filled day of exploration and hands-on learning opportunities.
Tuesday – Wild Food, Wild Fiber, Wild Medicine – Register Here!
We will explore the woods and fields of Historic Sotterley, learning to identify the plants and fungi that were used by Native, colonist, and enslaved peoples as food, fiber, and medicine!
Wednesday – Gardening for Good Health – Register Here!
We will explore, pot up, and take home the plants that the women of olden times grew in their gardens and used as medicine for their families!
Thursday – Cancelled
Due to overnight storms on Wednesday, the site will be too muddy for a nature walk, so we have made the decision to cancel this day’s activities.
Friday – Dyeing from Nature – Register Here!
We will use plants and other natural items to dye fabric the way people used to before commercial fabric dye was available; they dyed clothes, but we’re dyeing bandanas to take home and keep!

Bald Eagle Nest Photography Walk
2026-04-11 09:00 - 12:00 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
April 11, 2026 – Experience and capture the beauty of birds and other wildlife on an excursion at Historic Sotterley’s scenic Patuxent River property led by Ken Barlow.
On Saturday (11 April 2026 starting at 9am in the Visitors Parking lot) at Historic Sotterley in Hollywood, MD, Ken Barlow from the St. Mary’s County Camera Club/Coastal Camera Club/Bowie-Crofton Camera Club will be guiding a Bald Eagle Nest Walk. Ken has been tracking the nest over the last year and will share his insights on the eagles and camera (or binocular) viewing angles. The walk will primarily focus on camera techniques, but birds & other wildlife may be discussed as appropriate.
This walk will be between 1 to 2 miles along the various paths at Sotterley which will be a combination of brick walkway, gravel paths, wood chip paths, and limited grass paths. It is highly recommended to wear appropriate shoes and clothing for the weather and conditions.
The walk starts promptly at 9:00 am, please arrive 10-15 minutes prior in the parking lot in front of the Visitor Center.
Directions: From Rt. 235, go north on Sotterley Road; turn right through gates then head towards the Historic Sotterley Visitor Center, we meet in the parking lot.
Restrooms will be available.

Click here to register!

Partner Event—Front Porch Stories @ Lexington Park Library
2026-04-11 10:00 - 12:30 | Lexington Park Library, 71677 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Blvd, Lexington Park, 20653, United States
Registration not required, but you can register HERE for a reminder email.

An interactive training program rooted in the tradition of gathering stories in informal, welcoming spaces.

Front Porch Stories invites you to learn the fundamentals of ethnographic research and oral history methods including developing a research focus and interview guides, interviewing and recording techniques, analyzing themes, creating safe and inviting spaces, and more!
Registration is not required to attend–register to receive an email reminder, all walk-ins are welcome!

St. Mary's County History Day
2026-04-18 | Leonardtown Public Library, 23630 Hayden Farm Ln, Leonardtown, MD, 20650, United States
April 18, 2026 – St. Mary’s County History Day is a local contest affiliated with Maryland History Day and National History Day. It is a district-level contest for middle and high school students to do in-depth research and create unique projects about each year’s theme in one of five categories: paper, exhibit, documentary, website, or performance. It is a chance for students to develop critical skills that they will use throughout their schooling and careers, and winners of the district contest will advance to the state-level contest.

Students from public, private, parochial, home, and cyber schools are welcome to participate.

St. Mary’s County History Day is brought to you by Historic Sotterley, with support from with St. Mary’s County Library, Maryland Humanities, and the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.

Learn more about National History Day and register your student on our History Day website!

Contest Date: Saturday, April 18th, 2026
Deadline to Submit Project: Saturday, April 11th, 2026
Theme: Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History
Location: Leonardtown Public Library

Other Contest Dates
State Contest Day: May 2, 2026
National Contest Day: June 14-18, 2026

Sotterley Presents: People & Perspectives with Michael Kent
2026-04-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
April 22, 2026 – When the international slave trade was outlawed in 1808, other methods were tried to fill the labor void in the South. Border States like Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky began to breed slaves from the enslaved people they already owned. One such enslaved person was Jacob Broom who was owned by the Chew family from Chesapeake Beach in Calvert County. When Jacob was interviewed by a newspaper in 1890, he recalled fathering 375 children. Michael Kent joins us to discuss his book “Jacob’s Children: Black History Hidden in Plain Sight,” which discusses the horror of breeding and speculates on the plight of the children.

This is a FREE hybrid event. Registration is required.
All participants are welcome to join us to meet the speaker at the pre-reception at 6:30 pm with light refreshments.
Register Here to Attend In-Person
Register Here to Attend Virtually

Michael Kent, born in Calvert County in 1957, grew up on his family’s tobacco farm before earning degrees from the University of Maryland in College Park and Baltimore. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserves’ JAG Corps and worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in both Baltimore and Prince George’s Counties. His second career emerged from a passion for preserving history: beginning with his own family’s oral traditions, he expanded his research to document the full scope of Black history in Calvert County. This work culminated in his book Mulatto: The Black History of Calvert County, now used in local public schools and widely available in libraries and online. He continues to share this history through presentations across the state.
Kent’s contributions have earned significant recognition, including the 2023 Library Foundation Award, the 2023 Republican Man of the Year Award, and an NAACP leadership award, along with a nomination for the Maryland Council for Social Studies’ 2024 Professional of the Year. He has served on the Maryland Commission for African American History and Culture under Governors O’Malley and Hogan and currently sits on the Calvert County Historic District Preservation Commission. A life member and former president of the Calvert County NAACP, Kent remains deeply engaged in preserving and interpreting the region’s history. If you’d like, I can also shape this into a brief bio suitable for a program or website.

Annual Garden Guild Plant Sale
2026-04-25 - 2026-04-26 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
April 25 & 26, 2026 – From nurturing and maintaining our exquisite Colonial Revival Gardens – to giving fun and informative workshops, and bringing extra flair and beauty to the site. The Sotterley Garden Guild are dedicated volunteers who do so much! Please stop by, support, and shop at their Annual Plant Sale!

Here is your chance to buy plants lovingly nurtured by the Sotterley gardeners. Have questions? Members of the Garden Guild will be on hand with the answers and to share advice. The funds raised by this all-volunteer group of gardening enthusiasts are used to maintain the beautiful Colonial Revival Garden. It is in the gardens that their labors and their love of gardening is displayed so majestically.
To come and browse the plant selection is free. A cost is only involved if you choose to purchase plants or other items.
2026 PLANT SALE:
Saturday, April 25 – 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Sunday, April 26 – 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Mother's Day Afternoon Tea
2026-05-09 13:00 - 15:00 | MD
May 9, 2026 – Historic Sotterley is offering an opportunity to celebrate the important women in your life with an afternoon tea service. The service will be held in the beautifully restored Historic Barn event space and feature special guest Maria Derisavi to talk about her year being Miss Maryland 2025.
The afternoon’s menu will include delicate tea sandwiches, artful scones, a variety of sweets, and an array of chocolates paired with three delicious varieties of tea and lemonade. Attendees will receive a special door prize upon arrival.
Ticket price also includes a curator’s choice Women of Sotterley guided tour with Historic Sotterley’s Interpretive Programs Manager, Katherine Humphries. Historic Sotterley’s guided tours allow visitors an intimate perspective of the lives and cultures of those that owned, lived, and worked in the historic Manor House, enslaved or free, over three centuries of American history. Tours this weekend will have an extra focus on the women of Sotterley, from Rebecca Bowles, the second wife of Sotterley’s first owner, to Ruth Barber, one of Sotterley’s last residents. Attendees will learn about how these women influenced Sotterley’s history and set the course for its future, with special additions and commentary from the creator of the tour herself.
Date: May 9th, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm
Price: $50 | $35 for students | $25 for children under 16
Location: 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD 20636
Ticket sales coming soon!

Sotterley Presents: People & Perspectives with Edna Cummings
2026-05-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
May 20, 2026 – Retired Army Colonel Edna W. Cummings joins us to talk about her life and memoir, “A Soldier’s Life,” which chronicles her unlikely but successful path to leadership in the army and after retirement. The memoir also tells the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the Six Triple Eight, a trailblazing African American World War II Women’s Army Corps, and the grassroots campaign Cummings led to honor them. She will have a limited number of copies of her book available for purchase and signing for in-person attendees.

This is a FREE hybrid event. Registration is required.
All participants are welcome to join us to meet the speaker at the pre-reception at 6:30 pm with light refreshments.
Register Here to Attend In-Person
Register Here to Attend Virtually

A Fayetteville, NC, native and Army brat, Col. Edna Cummings is a distinguished alumnus of Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, and the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program whose 25-year Army career included influential assignments at Georgetown University, the Pentagon, and NORAD/USNORTHCOM. After retiring, she continued her leadership in homeland security and information technology roles and now serves as Vice President of Windsor Group, LLC and an Army Reserve Ambassador for Maryland. A dedicated advocate for honoring the all-Black WWII Women’s Army Corps unit known as the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, she played a pivotal role in securing the Six Triple Eight Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021 and co-produced two documentaries highlighting their legacy.
Col. Cummings holds advanced degrees from Troy State University and the U.S. Army War College and has earned numerous prestigious honors, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, induction into the Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame, the NAACP’s Jesse Brown Distinguished Leadership Award, and recognition as a 2023 Trailblazer by the Center for Women Veterans. Her memoir, A Soldier’s Life: A Black Woman’s Rise from Army Brat to Six Triple Eight Champion, was released by the University of Virginia Press in 2025. Her continued work, leadership, and advocacy have made her a nationally recognized changemaker and a powerful voice in preserving military and African American history.
