Talbot Historical Society

A Date With History: "Music of the New Nation" with Ampersand celebrating 250th U.S. Anniversary
2026-04-17 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
“Music of the New Nation” with Ampersand
Dick Hogle, Beth Lawton, and Topher Lawton
Friday, April 17, 2026 at 1:00pm
at the Talbot County Free Library
Ampersand’s special Revolutionary War-era program, “Music of the New Nation” focuses on the experience of the home front and everyday people as they faced the battle for independence. Included are songs about the stirrings of revolution; the experiences of colonists in different walks of life; songs from soldiers on both sides of the conflict; a fiddle tune written by an enslaved person, and protest songs written at the time. This trio of musicians brings guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, hammered dulcimer, cello, and penny whistles to underscore rich vocal harmonies and great joy in sharing this traditional music with modern audiences.
www.ampersandmusic.org/ampersand250

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 will be presented on April 17, 2026 at 1:00pm at the Talbot County Free Library The lecture is free to the public, seating is limited, so arriving early will help ensure a seat.
Talbot Historical Society office/research/exhibit hours are: Wednesday through Saturday 10am-3pm

A Date With History: Thy Will Be Done with John Marks
2026-04-21 13:00 - 14:00
Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory
with John Marks
Tuesday, April 21 at 1:00pm at the Talbot County Free Library
How should we remember George Washington’s involvement in slavery? Americans have argued over that question for nearly 250 years. More than any other “Founding Father,” Washington’s ties to slavery have vexed us. He enslaved more people than any of his fellow Founders, yet he was the only one of them to emancipate the people he held in bondage. Since his death, Americans have grappled with this contradiction, shaping and re-shaping our collective memory of Washington and slavery—along with our understanding of the nation. In this talk, historian and writer John Garrison Marks will draw on his book Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory to tell the story of how politicians, abolitionists, educators, activists, Washington’s former slaves and their descendants, and others have remembered, forgotten, and manipulated slavery’s place in Washington’s story over the past 250 years. Marks’s work reveals how generational struggles over our collective memory of Washington and slavery have always been part of a bigger conversation about defining America and its people—and continue to shape the nation’s public discourse.
Link to the book here: https://uncpress.org/9781469693521/thy-will-be-done/
John Garrison Marks is a historian and writer whose work has appeared in TIME, Washington Post, and Smithsonian Magazine. Previously the author of Black Freedom in the Age of Slavery, he earned his Ph.D. from Rice University. He currently serves as the Vice President of Research and Engagement with the American Association for State and Local History.
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 will be presented on April 21, 2026 at 1:00pm at the Talbot County Free Library. The lecture is free to the public, seating is limited, so arriving early will help ensure a seat.
Talbot Historical Society office/research/exhibit hours are:
Wednesday through Saturday 10am-3pm

A Date With History: Hamilton and Taxation in the 1790's
2026-05-05 13:00 - 14:00
“Hamilton and Taxation in the 1790’s” with Ronald Lesher, Ed. D.
Tuesday, May 5 at 1:00pm at the Talbot County Free Library
Federalist Paper No. 12 suggested that the federal government should be funded through import duties. Yet by 1791 Congress at the urging of Alexander Hamilton had enacted a tax on domestically distilled spirits, which led to the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. That is what we learned in high school history.
However, those tax rates were reduced in 1792. But did we learn about the annual license on retailers of foreign distilled spirits or the annual license for retailers of wine enacted in 1794? Or did learn about the annual tax on carriages for the conveyance of people? Or the taxes various kinds of financial transactions, such as promissory notes?
Let’s learn the truth about federal taxation in the 1790’s that were all abolished in 1802 under the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson.
Ron Lesher has been a lifelong collector and researcher of tax stamps, especially for distilled spirits beginning in the 1790’s and the receipts for the internal revenue tax on distilled spirits that brought on the Whiskey Rebellion.
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 will be presented on May 5, 2026 at 1:00pm at the Talbot County Free Library
The lecture is free to the public, please plan to arrive early, as seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Talbot Historical Society office/research/exhibit hours are: Wednesday through Saturday 10am-3pm

Home and Garden Pilgrimage: Talbot County Tour
2026-05-09 10:00 - 17:00
2026 Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage
Talbot County Tour: Showcasing Talbot County History
Click here to purchase tickets
EASTON, MD – Early Bird tickets are now available for the Talbot County Tour of the Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage. Organized by the Talbot County Garden Club, this May 9, 2026 event is not to be missed!
The 2026 Talbot County Tour will showcase significant historic sites in our county to offer visitors an unrivaled experience in celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary. Visitors can access an array of houses and grounds that are rarely open to the public. These include nationally important historic waterfront homes with singular interiors and significant private gardens on the water. At each property, visitors can expect to see incredible floral displays creatively fashioned by the garden club’s talented designers – a hallmark of this biennial event.
Waterfront homes on tour include:

Wye House (a 17th century National Historic Landmark with an 18th century residence continuously occupied by 12 generations of the Lloyd family, including a delegate to the Continental Congress, Governor, and U.S. and State Representatives);
Plimhimmon (where Anna Maria Tilghman, widow of Revolutionary War hero Lt. Col. Tench Tilghman, entertained the Marquis de Lafayette); and
Emerson Point (graciously set on the Miles River).
The spectacular grounds of Harleigh Farm (on Trippe Creek) will also welcome visitors.

Tours and a delicious lunch will be available at Third Haven Friends (Quaker) Meeting House (1684) in Easton. And visitors will be encouraged to tour Talbot Historical Society’s Gardens and Neall House (ca 1804). The gardens are designed and maintained by the garden club and Tour proceeds are earmarked to help with Neall House restoration.
To add to the day’s experience, visitors will be directed via exclusive audio tours to drive by and discover the many historic landmarks in Oxford and
St. Michaels, towns that were influential in America’s Colonial Period.
Early Bird (reduced-price) Tour tickets at $40 are available now until 6 pm on January 31 at MHGP.org/talbotcounty. Regular-price tickets at $50 will remain available online until May 8. On the day of the event (May 9), tickets at $60 will be available at all sites.
For updated Talbot County Tour details, visit MHGP.org or talbotcountygc.org
About the Talbot County Garden Club
The Talbot County Garden Club is known for its “good and green works” that benefit the Talbot County community. The club was established in 1917 to enhance the natural beauty of the local environment by sharing knowledge of gardening, maintaining civic gardens, supporting civic greening projects, encouraging the conservation of natural resources, and fostering the art of flower arranging. Noteworthy projects include grounds maintenance at the Talbot Historical Society, Talbot County Free Library (Easton), and the Fountain and Children’s Gardens in Idlewild Park; greenery installations for Easton’s Rails to Trails, U.S. Post Office and Christ Church; plus an ever-growing number of gardening-related outreach activities serving youths, seniors and persons living with disabilities. There are currently 112 active, associate and honorary members.

The Tour is generously supported by the local community, with well over 300 volunteer docents and hosts on hand to guide visitors throughout the Tour day.

Poplar Island Tours: FREE for THS members
2026-06-08 08:30 - 12:00
Poplar Island Tours
THS MEMBERS ONLY
We are excited to offer the members of the Talbot Historical Society a personal tour of Poplar Island again! If you are not a member, consider becoming a member today to take advantage of this wonderful and educational opportunity today. If you have any questions about your membership status, please reach out to us. Contact information below.
The boat taking us to Poplar Island will depart from their base on Tilghman Island promptly at 9am and will return to Tilghman Island by noon.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes early.
Monday, June 8, 2026
and
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Boat leaves the base at 9am
Poplar Island Land Base
21548 Chicken Point Road
Tilghman, MD 21671
Detailed information will be provided for those who register closer to the tour dates. The boat can only accommodate 24 guests, so attendance will be limited. Please call 410-822-0773 or email kaylaw@talbothistory.org to reserve your spot as soon as possible.
The tour begins with a 20-minute boat ride to Poplar Island. We will then board an air-conditioned bus for a tour of the island and visitor’s center. “Tours and educational programs at Poplar Island focus on details related to the beneficial use of dredged material to restore remote island habitat. Tours cover erosion, the process of habitat restoration, water quality monitoring, and species diversity. Participants will also learn about cultural history on the Chesapeake from the 1600s through today, including how in the past, the Poplar Island chain once hosted a thriving Bay community and later a retreat for politicians, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt.”
Poplar Island Restoration Project Website: http://www.poplarislandrestoration.com/
RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED
If you have any questions, wish to sign-up or would like to become a member, please contact the Talbot Historical Society at 410-822-0773 or email kaylaw@talbothistory.org

Poplar Island Tours: FREE for THS members
2026-10-27 08:30 - 12:00
Poplar Island Tours
THS MEMBERS ONLY
We are excited to offer the members of the Talbot Historical Society a personal tour of Poplar Island again! If you are not a member, consider becoming a member today to take advantage of this wonderful and educational opportunity today. If you have any questions about your membership status, please reach out to us. Contact information below.
The boat taking us to Poplar Island will depart from their base on Tilghman Island promptly at 9am and will return to Tilghman Island by noon.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes early.
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Boat leaves the base at 9am
Poplar Island Land Base
21548 Chicken Point Road
Tilghman, MD 21671
Detailed information will be provided for those who register closer to the tour dates. The boat can only accommodate 24 guests, so attendance will be limited. Please call 410-822-0773 or email kaylaw@talbothistory.org to reserve your spot as soon as possible.
The tour begins with a 20-minute boat ride to Poplar Island. We will then board an air-conditioned bus for a tour of the island and visitor’s center. “Tours and educational programs at Poplar Island focus on details related to the beneficial use of dredged material to restore remote island habitat. Tours cover erosion, the process of habitat restoration, water quality monitoring, and species diversity. Participants will also learn about cultural history on the Chesapeake from the 1600s through today, including how in the past, the Poplar Island chain once hosted a thriving Bay community and later a retreat for politicians, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt.”
Poplar Island Restoration Project Website: http://www.poplarislandrestoration.com/
RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED
If you have any questions, wish to sign-up or would like to become a member, please contact the Talbot Historical Society at 410-822-0773 or email kaylaw@talbothistory.org
