Talbot Historical Society

Talbot Historical Society THS is a 501(c)3 in Talbot County, MD. Its purpose is to offer historically significant and educational opportunities to local residents and visitors.
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Bear Me Into Freedom: Frederick Douglass and the Struggle for America’s PromiseShowings: Saturday, June 13th at 10:30am ...
05/30/2026

Bear Me Into Freedom: Frederick Douglass and the Struggle for America’s Promise

Showings: Saturday, June 13th at 10:30am and 1:30pm
Location: Talbot Historical Society, in the Neall House at
29 S. Washington St., Easton, MD 21601

Tickets and Reservations: $10 per person. Contact THS @ [email protected] to make a reservation.

Bear Me Into Freedom is a tribute to Talbot County’s native son, Frederick Douglass, made more poignant during America’s Semiquincentennial. Douglass dedicated his life to promoting the ideals of the Declaration of Independence—that all men are created equal and have the inalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. His fiery oratory and compelling prose advanced American towards the fulfillment of its founding ideals.
Bear Me Into Freedom is a 60-minute immersive experience, a video installation portraying the odyssey of Frederick Douglass from his birth and enslavement in the Eastern Shore’s Talbot County to his life’s work championing abolition, emancipation, and equal rights, and his triumphal return to the county as an elder statesman having become one of the most consequential figures of the 19th century. It tells his story using his words. The imagery is the actual places those words describe. The soundscape is the county’s wildlife. The images open across the flat horizons of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where water and land trade places, the sky carries more weight than the earth beneath it. It was there, in bo***ge, that Douglass first learned the meaning of freedom, and from that ground that his lifelong call for justice would rise. His words, travel with us, joined by the wind, water, and living sounds of Talbot County itself. The installation’s canvas is wider than a standard movie screen, three times wider than a standard TV, to evoke the unique character of the Eastern Shore. Three separate but synchronized computers power the imagery, drawing viewers into the abolitionist’s world and surrounding them with the voice of Frederick Douglass.
Come, join the journey.

“We the People of Talbot County”We will be open for "First Friday" on June 5th from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.Our regular exhibit...
05/29/2026

“We the People of Talbot County”

We will be open for "First Friday" on June 5th from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

Our regular exhibit hours are Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10:00am to 3:00pm. This exhibit is located in our Denton Extended Museum building at 25 S. Washington St., Easton, MD 21601.

A new exhibition, We the People of Talbot County, invites visitors to discover the remarkable stories of the men and women who helped shape the fight for American independence on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and beyond. Through historical interpretation, individuals' stories, and local perspectives, the exhibit highlights Talbot County’s vital contributions to the American Revolution and the enduring legacy of those who answered the call for liberty.

The exhibit highlights influential Talbot County leaders whose impact reached far beyond Maryland. Tench Tilghman served alongside General George Washington as his aide-de-camp during the war, carrying critical messages and supporting the Continental Army throughout the conflict. Other Talbot Countians such as Solomon Barrott, Matthew Tilghman and David Kerr fought in major engagements from Brooklyn to Yorktown, while local militia leaders such as Jeremiah Banning and Perry Benson defended the region and supported the broader war effort.

We the People of Talbot County emphasizes that the struggle for independence was carried forward by people from many backgrounds. Men and women contributed as soldiers, laborers, spies, and supporters on the home front. Whether serving on distant battlefields or sustaining the cause within their communities, the people of Talbot County helped secure American independence through courage, sacrifice, and resilience.

The exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to connect local history with the broader story of the American Revolution, demonstrating how Talbot County played an important role in shaping the nation’s founding.

For more information about the exhibit, please contact the Talbot Historical Society at 410-822-0773 or visit our website: talbothistory.org

Project Rewind-Talbot County: This Hooper Strait Lighthouse was built in 1879 to replace an earlier lighthouse that was ...
05/29/2026

Project Rewind-Talbot County: This Hooper Strait Lighthouse was built in 1879 to replace an earlier lighthouse that was destroyed by ice in 1877. By 1966 this Lighthouse had deteriorated and the Coast Guard deemed it ready for destruction. The Talbot Historical Society established the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum on May 22, 1965 in St. Michaels, Maryland and in 1966 the two organizations provided the funds to purchase the Hooper Strait Lighthouse! The forty-two-ton Historic Lighthouse was moved 40 miles up the Bay to St. Michaels and arrived November 9, 1966 and was restored at its present Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum location! Facts: CBMM.org . Retired engineer Charles C. Harris took many pictures of the creation of the CBMM campus that include amazing pictures of the steps taken to move the Hooper Strait Lighthouse. The C. C. Harris Collection is housed and archived at the Talbot Historical Society. Contact: Cathy Hill [email protected] to share your old photos and purchase our collections photos. Comment, Like our page and join the Talbot Historical Society!

05/28/2026

“In our video installation, Douglass tells his story using his words. The imagery is the actual places those words describe. The soundscape is the county’s wildlife. It’s about authenticity. It means at times spending several nights anchored in a remote cove to get what we need when dawn breaks." -Jeff McGuiness

This wooded area along the banks of Tuckahoe Creek in Talbot County, Maryland, called Holme Hill Farm, was the birthplace of Frederick Douglass and where he lived as a small child.

Explore the journey of Frederick Douglass at one of our upcoming Bear Me Into Freedom Screenings:

✅ June 19th at Asbury United Methodist Church of Easton, Maryland

✅ July 1st through 5th at St Luke's United Methodist Church - St Michaels

Project Rewind-Talbot County: Spring crop planting is progressing across the Eastern Shore! This Talbot Historical Socie...
05/27/2026

Project Rewind-Talbot County: Spring crop planting is progressing across the Eastern Shore! This Talbot Historical Society H. Robins Hollyday Collection photo’s location is another mystery! A clue is the warehouse type looking building on the left side of the farm and fields? Can you help us identify the location of this scene? Contact: Cathy Hill [email protected] to share your old photos and purchase our collections photos. Comment, Like our page and join the Talbot Historical Society!

Project Rewind-Talbot County: Memorial Day became an official American holiday in 1971. It was designated to honor the m...
05/25/2026

Project Rewind-Talbot County: Memorial Day became an official American holiday in 1971. It was designated to honor the men and women who have died while serving in the U. S. Military and is the last Monday in May. It was originally known as Decoration Day and originated in the years following the Civil War. Facts: History.com Pictured here is Easton, Maryland’s Howard B. Hill with his wife Jane and son Thomas E. Hill home on leave from Fort Benning, Georgia before being shipped to Reading, England . PFC Howard B. Hill was part of the 401 Glider Infantry 101 Airborne Division that landed on Utah Beach Normandy, France at 3:00 pm June 6, 1944 with a tank Division to clear the way for our gliders that were scheduled to land later that day. He was killed June 7, 1944 and is buried at the American Cemetery at Normandy France. Photo from the Talbot Historical Society’s Jane Shannahan Hill Offutt Collection. Do you have anyone in your family who was killed while serving in the military? Contact: Cathy Hill [email protected] to share your old photos and purchase our collections photos. Comment, Like our page and join the Talbot Historical Society!

Address

30 S Washington Street
Easton, MD
21601

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

+14108220773

Website

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