A Date with History Speaker Series

The A Date with History Speaker Series is hosted by The Talbot County Free Library in a partnership with Talbot Historical Society. See our past lectures below:

The Invention of Colonial Williamsburg with Professor Michael Olmert

Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 1:00pm
Talbot County Free Library
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, is the most studied 18th-Century town in the world. This illustrated lecture will cover the founding and growth of this vast historical resource. What drove the recovery of the town? What changes have been made over the last 95 years? What sorts of insights can Williamsburg’s archaeology, architecture, material culture, and history give us? This talk is about peering into the seeds of Time. 
Michael Olmert wrote the Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg (1985-2015) and has written some 50 articles for Colonial Williamsburg Magazine. A professor in the University of Maryland’s English Department, Olmert has long been interested in the connection between literature and history and architecture. His books include Milton’s Teeth and Ovid’s Umbrella (Simon and Schuster, 1996) and Kitchens, Smokehouses, and Privies (Cornell Univ. Press, 2009). His television writing has won him three primetime Emmys.  
This is presented by the Talbot Historical Society in partnership with the Talbot County Free Library and will take place at the library located at 100 W. Dover St., Easton, MD 21601.
The lecture is free to the public, seating is limited, so arriving early will help ensure a seat.

Past Lectures:

Doc I Need a Drink with Ron Lesher Nov 2025 lecture

Frederick Douglass on Emancipation Proclamation with reenactor Nathan Richardson, August 2025

A Story of Valor and Honor with Clara L. Small, Ph.D., June 2025

Traveling Freedom’s Road Frederick Douglass in Maryland with author Jack Hanrahan

Understanding Island Loss in the Chesapeake Bay w/ Darrin Lowery, November 2024.

Sit. Stay. Heal. The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond and its Healing Power with Meg Olmert