Nathaniel “Nace” Hopkins

Subtitle: A Talbot County Legend Celebrated to This Day
Nathaniel “Nace” Hopkins is a Talbot County legend.  Hopkins was a well-respected man who helped our county move forward in the post emancipation era.  Nace was born a slave and enlisted in the USCT in November 1863.  Though Nace volunteered to fight, his military career was short.  After his medical examination Nace was released from duty for “varicose veins.”  The loss of this natural leader from the Union army was a huge gain for the citizens of Talbot. 

Nace  was a man of his word, and his descendants described him as always helping Talbot’s citizens – both Black and White. Family members stated, “He accomplished whatever he had to do for his people and walked tall and strait with a look of determination.” 

Hopkins helped establish the Ashbury Methodist Episcopal Church in 1869 which is now the Scotts United Methodist Church in Trappe.  After the war many Black communities were established throughout Talbot and Nace did his part by procuring 23 aces southeast of Trappe to establish the community of Eastfield.  In 1888, Hopkins was appointed Road Supervisors for the Trappe district by the Talbot County Commissioners.  

Hopkins’s most celebrated accomplishment was the establishment of the first Emancipation Day celebration in Maryland and possibly the entire nation. In the summer of 1867, Nace worked diligently organizing and training local children to drill with musical instruments borrowed from neighbors.  The citizens of Talbot, both Black and White, contributed by providing needed items and money.

On November 1, 1867, a parade was led by Hopkins with his Aunt Audy by his side carrying her Bible.  Nace was dressed in his Union uniform with gold epaulettes and sash, a Lincoln styled top hat and a sword from the Knights of Columbus. The celebration was so successful it became an annual tradition. Hopkins continued to plan and lead the parade until his death 33 years later. Eventually, the parade became known as the “Nace’s Day” parade and this celebration continues to this day nearly 160 years later.