Together We Grow: Celebrating Agriculture Week at Historic Sotterley

This week we celebrate National Agriculture Week.  This year’s theme, “Together We Grow: Celebrating 250 Years of Progress in Agriculture,” explores centuries of agricultural history in our nation and expresses gratitude for the farmers, ranchers, and producers that keep it running.  At Historic Sotterley, our more than 300 years of interpretation include the agricultural history of our site and Southern Maryland, so we believe in celebrating these values every week.

Long before there was a Sotterley, and before European contact with the Chesapeake Bay, agriculture was a deeply rooted part of life.  Indigenous communities practiced a form of sustainable farming based around the Three Sisters’ crops: corn/maize, beans, and squash. This practice utilizes a form of companion farming, which is a strategy that groups different plants together to maximize space, improve available nutrients, and increase yields. These three crops were a part of the diet of many indigenous communities for centuries and were essential to the survival of early colonists and free and enslaved Africans in the colonies. Today’s sustainable agricultural practices rely upon the knowledge of the indigenous communities like the Piscataway to enhance farming today.

In places like colonial Maryland, the cash-crop-centric plantation system quickly became the dominant force driving the economy for centuries. Tobacco and grain grown on plantations like Sotterley became synonymous with farming in our region.  While the value of tobacco fluctuated wildly over the course of centuries, it remained our region’s dominant crop.  Tobacco’s dominance would last until the 1990s, when the tobacco buyout took place, leading to a shift in the region’s economy.  

From the post-Civil War period through the late 20th century, agriculture at Sotterley also included livestock.  Many visitors to Sotterley can recall the sheep that once adorned the fields below the Manor House, while others may recall the turkeys that have quite the history on site.  Thanks to Buck Briscoe, a figure known to many of us as “Mr. St. Mary’s County,” turkeys from Sotterley made their way to the White House just in time for an annual Thanksgiving dinner on at least two occasions.  At least one of those turkeys survived being the star of the dinner, receiving an official White House pardon. The other turkey’s fate is unknown. 

Today, Historic Sotterley is home to a group of mini-goats during the tour season. They can be viewed during the warmer months frolicking in their little pasture behind the Knott House by the Wind Mill.  Our Interpretive Programs Manager can usually be found with the goats during the tour season as well.

Agriculture at Historic Sotterley in the present day centers around community engagement.  Our region is facing a growing crisis: hunger.  Many residents face the reality of having to decide between healthy food, fuel, rent, or insurance costs. Approximately 40% of our students in K-12 in our public schools are dealing with food insecurity. In an effort to help address this need in our community, Historic Sotterley has put our farm land back into production over the past decade.  Across this time, approximately 200,000 pounds of produce grown on site have been donated to community organizations including soup kitchens, school cafeterias, food pantries, etc. This agricultural program is only possible through the support, enthusiasm, and hands-on participation of our community.  Every year, volunteers come out to help plant seeds and seedlings, then return later in the year to help us harvest, sort, and deliver produce. 

In addition to volunteer work, we keep our fields active with demonstration plots for visitors to experience a fraction of what Sotterley would have looked like throughout history. Last year, our demo plots included Maryland 609 tobacco, a popular variety introduced in the 1970s, and various cover crops with historical significance like millet, oats, and barley. Our demo plots for this year are still in the planning stages, but they will be available for visitors to experience this summer and fall.

If you want to get involved in Historic Sotterley’s agriculture efforts, you can volunteer, too! Click the link below to fill out a volunteer form, and we’ll reach out with upcoming opportunities when they’re available.