We're Opening Early! We're Opening Early!

Spring Early Into Sotterley’s 2015 Season

&

Sweet Discount!

In anticipation of a fabulous 2015 season, Historic Sotterley Plantation is set to open earlier than ever before – a month earlier, to be exact! Beginning on Saturday, April 11, 2015 the site will be open for Self-Guided Audio Tours and Guided Tours of our 1703 Plantation House on weekends only. 

Saturdays – April 11, 18 & 25

10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Tours: 10:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m.

(beginning May 1^st, this will be the regular schedule

for Tuesdays through Saturdays through October 31)

Sundays – April 12, 19 & 26

11:45 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Tours: Noon, 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m.

(beginning May 3^rd, this will be the regular schedule

for Sundays through October 31)

This year promises to be an exciting one for Historic Sotterley Plantation and we hope you and yours will take advantage of our early start. Visit us soon and often!

Sotterley Museum Shop Sweet Deal!

SWEET DISCOUNT! Our First Speaker Series book entitled, “A Sweet World of White House Desserts” by the world famous Chef Roland Mesnier. Your reserved copy will be available for pick-up at Chef Mesnier’s Speaker Series presentation on Wednesday, April 15^th and he will gladly autograph your book! Please call our office at 301-373-2270 to reserve your discounted copy for only $30!

Corn Crib Project Continues & First Look at Exhibit

Before

&

After

Our Corn Crib project, funded by a grant from the African American Heritage Preservation Program, has been progressing over the fall and winter. Visitors have been able to watch the restoration work taking place on the building’s exterior through December. There is still more work to be done on the structure to include putting in a new and safe ramp and a restored door. The shingled wall facing the parking lot has now been restored with new hand-cut cedar shingles. Because the original grey, weathered shingles were so beautiful, it was with some sadness that we watched this part of the project take place. We were losing the old shingles at an increasingly rapid rate, and to preserve the building all of the old shingles and some of the support structure had to be replaced. As spring comes, the building will begin to reclaim a little of its former look as the shingles begin to grey naturally.

The Land, Lives, and Labor exhibit which will be housed at the Corn Crib has been progressing under the leadership of project director Merideth Taylor. Working with the talents of Dennis Kund, exhibit designer, and Jeanne Pirtle, Sotterley’s Education Director, the first draft of the interior exhibit was unveiled in February. The exhibit will bring into focus the lives of the enslaved and farm workers who toiled at Sotterley. The review committee was extremely impressed with the choices made to bring this part of Sotterley’s history to life. Work will continue on the exhibit in the months ahead and we look forward to unveiling the exhibit later in this year. 

In the Spotlight ~ Wentworth Nursery!

Because of the dedication, generosity, and commitment of our Corporate Partners, Sotterley is able to fulfill our mission and give back to the community.  We would like to take the opportunity to shine the spotlight on one of our many partners!

 

You may already know Wentworth Nursery as a great place to go for all your landscaping and gardening essentials.  Did you also know they are a long time Corporate Partner of Sotterley, helping to keep our treasured site looking beautiful for our thousands of visitors each year?  

 

The company started out with very humble beginnings, “We started the nursery in our parent’s back yard as a hobby, growing azaleas in 1975," said Richard Wentworth, owner.  The hobby soon turned into a small business as they opened their Charlotte Hall location in 1977.  To better serve the needs of the community, they expanded their operation to include locations in Prince Frederick and Oakville in 1991, and the Landscape Project Center in 2003.

 

When asked what he liked best about doing business in our Southern Maryland community, Wentworth said, “The people and the location near the water.  It is just a fun and rewarding business to be a part of.” Wentworth Nursery has lent a helping hand to Sotterley for many years, and they faithfully come on site to mulch, plant, and spruce up our site twice a year.  Their professional resources and expertise help us to keep our site looking beautiful. They also contribute beautiful plants and materials to many of our special events, helping us to create the perfect backdrop and setting.

 

In 2011 when Hurricane Irene caused much devastation on site, Wentworth Nursery stepped in to offer an even greater level of support when our site was in such need of repair.  Now, they have been helping Sotterley begin the replacement of a few of the many trees that were lost during the disaster. We are grateful to Wentworth Nursery for their continued generous support as a Corporate Partner. 

To find out how your company can join us 

and become a Sotterley Corporate Partner, 

please contact Nate Ryon

301-373-2280  or  development@sotterley.org

Rescheduled & Added Tours for Backstairs/Upstairs!

!!!!!   U P D A T E   !!!!! 

~ Exclusive Tour ~

Backstairs/Upstairs

Saturday, March 7, 2015

9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.

Due to the chaos the recent snow storm caused, we needed to postpone our once a year exclusive “Backstairs/Upstairs” tours of the 1703 Plantation House until Saturday, March 21, 2015 at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Currently we have a few spaces left for that day.

Other great news: 

We have added an additional tour date - Saturday, April 11th at noon!!!

Guests will be able to go behind the scenes, enter rooms not seen on a regular tour, and view our notable collections!

Advanced Reservations Required:

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS!

$15 per person.

Limited to 16 people per tour.

Indoor and outdoor walking required.

Sponsorship Opportunities for the 2015 Gala in the Garden!

 

(Click on the above graphic to download)

Your Support Matters!

The generosity of organizations and individuals will help to make this a successful event 

for Historic Sotterley Plantation. The Gala in the Garden is an important fundraising event 

which benefits Sotterley’s educational programming and enables us to continue our mission 

of preserving, researching, and interpreting the plantation’s diverse cultures and environments 

and to serve the world as an educational, cultural, and community resource.

Join Us

on

“The Road to Morocco!”

Gala in the Garden

Saturday, June 13th, 2015

6:30 p.m.

Bursting with exotic treasures, our Colonial Revival Gardens will be transformed into a Moroccan souk during our 6^th annual Gala in the Garden ~ “The Road to Morocco” on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. Guests will be swept away to this far away land of tantalizing colors, luscious spices, nectarous cocktails, and dazzling dancers!

The Sotterley Souk will be filled with extraordinary auction items for bid in both the Silent and Live Auctions. Previews of auction items will be available online at www.sotterley.org. Unable to join us on “The Road to Morocco” but would like to bid on items prior to Gala in the Garden? No worries, we will gladly accept bids via telephone at 301-373-2280.

Please purchase tickets online: www.sotterley.org

by June 6th, 2015

$125 per person