Tuesday, September 27, 2011

So. Maryland, So Good at WINEFEST!





Sotterley is thrilled to have So. Maryland, So Good back at WineFest this year!

The So. Maryland, So Good display includes demonstrations in the "Buy Local Cafe" from top area chefs using fresh items grown locally as well as presentations on pairing Maryland wines.

Also featured are wool spinning and weaving demonstrations using wool produced on local farms, unique locally made, hand crafted products such as jams, jellies, savory vinegars and fragrant local honey as well as soaps made from local goats' milk or hand woven woolen scarves. Farm guides and Trails Guides are available or go online to http://www.somarylandsogood.com/ or http://www.somdtrails.com/.


Saturday, October 1


1 p.m. Gary Fick - The Blue Dog Saloon, Port Tobacco: Pan Fried Snakehead (fish) with Lemon/ Parmesan Croissant Crust and Southern Maryland Succotash

3 p.m. Chef Rasheed Adurrahman - Wild Onion Café, Hyattsville: Wild Onion’s Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Garlic Chips

5 p.m. Chef Loic Jaffres - Café Des Artistes, Leonardtown: Grilled Local Vegetable Roulade


Sunday, October 2

1 p.m. Chef Brendan Cahill - The Front Porch, Leonardtown: Taste sensations fresh from local farms and waterways

3 p.m. Chef Charlene Obal - Saphron Restaurant, Prince Frederick: Low Country Shrimp and Grits with Collard Greens

5 p.m. Chef Gary Fick - The Blue Dog Saloon, Port Tobacco: Pan Fried Snakehead with Lemon/ Parmesan Croissant Crust and Southern Maryland Succotash

Monday, September 26, 2011

Grateful for the Generous Donations!







Thank you to all who have generously made donations to help with the Hurricane Irene Clean-up thus far. Your donations are helping to defray the many costs Sotterley faces, and are critical to the restoration efforts of this significant National Historic Landmark. For the many that have already helped, you have our sincerest gratitude:

L. Millette
Louise Snell
Jeanne Davis
Stephen Elchenko
Elon University Class of 2008
The Nancy Ruyle Dodge Charitable Trust
Janet Rowland
The Ganlee Fund
Maryland Land Title Association
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald F. Birch
Dr. Gita S. van Heerden
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Houston
Bill Schmalgemeyer
Tara Wagner
Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Aldridge
Mr. and Mrs. John J. McAllister, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Turner, III
Doreen Gantz
Marion and William O.E. Sterling Fund
Aaron Heinsman
Richard Wood
Brittany Spalding
Donald Halloway
Pamela McIntyre
Darlene Howard
Bryan Hardman
Lindsey Seaton
Elizabeth Hannold
Donna Schneider
Mary Anne Bowman
Stanley Matchett
Samantha Watters
Helen Wilkes
John F. Carter, II
Deborah Kipple
Howard Lennox
Dale Jones
Denise Watson
Jessica Wells
Erin Knight

For those still willing to help, know that your donations can make a very real difference. Donations are accepted online at http://www.sotterley.org/ or via mail.

Monday, September 19, 2011

2011 Speaker Series Finale!



Speaker Series: Jennifer Van Horn
“Re-Interpreting Mount Vernon’s
Greenhouse Slave Quarters”

Friday, September 23, 2011 7:00 p.m. in the Barn

Sotterley Plantation is proud to partner with The Boeing Company in presenting Jennifer Van Horn. Her presentation entitled, “Re-Interpreting Mount Vernon’s Greenhouse Slave Quarters” will be held on Friday, September 23, 2011 at 7:00 p.m., the final presentation of this year’s Speaker Series at Sotterley.

In November of 2010, Mount Vernon reopened the Greenhouse Slave Quarters after an extensive restoration. This talk will explore the new interpretation of the men’s and women’s sleeping rooms (located in wings on either side of the Greenhouse), which originally housed approximately 50 of George Washington’s male and female slaves. None of the slave cabins survive today. Much of what we know about the living conditions of Mount Vernon's slaves is due to a 1798 written account by a visitor. Mount Vernon interprets the slave cabin as home to Scilla, who lived on Dogue Run Farm with her six children. Her husband, Slammin’ Joe, lived and worked at the Mansion House farm.
Because of the generous grant and continued support from The Boeing Company, Sotterley Plantation is able to offer this important community outreach, fulfilling its mission of serving as an educational resource and cultural venue while it seeks to preserve, interpret and research the plantation’s diverse cultures and environments through its history.

FREE to the public. Please call for reservations, as seating is limited: 301-373-2280

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Site Reopens THURSDAY!


By this point, most of Southern Maryland knows of Hurricane Irene’s impact on Sotterley Plantation, and the devastating effects of losing over 100 trees and sustaining damage to a number of the site’s historic structures. Despite the necessity of closing for almost three weeks, however, Sotterley will reopen for business on Thursday, September 15, 2011. Plans to host our upcoming Speaker Series finale, the Riverside WineFest at Sotterley 2011, the Ghosts of Sotterley Tours, Family Plantation Christmas, and the Holiday Candlelight Tours are moving forward.

Upon reopening, the ravages of the storm will still be visible to our visitors. Scars will remain on the landscape and buildings which have yet to be restored. Each and every day, however, there is new headway in the ongoing restoration efforts, and Sotterley promises to not only host its many fall and winter events, it is committed to doing so in the usual Sotterley style.

The Southern Maryland community has shown Sotterley a great deal of support in the last few weeks, including invaluable assistance from volunteers. Critical donations are helping with the necessary restoration efforts of this beloved National Historic Landmark. Please contact the office if you are able to volunteer in the ongoing clean-up efforts or if you are willing to volunteer at one of our upcoming events. And, as always, donations are appreciated and are still being accepted via our website or by mail.

The staff, Board of Trustees, and all who love Sotterley, would like to thank our Southern Maryland community for its support. We look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming events.

Sotterley wishes to thank everyone who has helped to date, and those who will do so in the weeks ahead.
To track Sotterley’s progress:
Website: www.sotterley.org
Blog: www.sotterleyplantation.blogspot.com
Become a Facebook friend of Historic Sotterley

Photo courtesy of Laura Hammett

Monday, September 12, 2011

GHOSTS!



Tickets Available Online Now! http://www.sotterley.org/

“1878: After the Storm”
Ghosts of Sotterley Tours 2011
October 13, 14, 15, 21 & 22, 2011
Tours run every ten minutes, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Reservations Required – No Walk-ins

This year’s tour will take guests back in time to the year 1878, when Sotterley was owned by Dr. Walter Hanson Stone Briscoe and his wife, Emeline. The family’s enjoyment of prosperity, good friends, county notoriety, and living the good life has been interrupted. A vicious hurricane has swept up the East Coast causing a shipwreck at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Briscoe has been called upon to treat the survivors. The plantation is reeling from the disaster and teeming with uninvited visitors - the restless spirits of the newly departed as well as the spirits of those long past who have been unsettled by the upheaval. Prepare to encounter both the earthly inhabitants of the time and those not of this earth on this historical and spooky walking tour!

New for 2011 – Additional Tour Nights! What could be better than 3 nights of the Ghosts of Sotterley Tours? 5 Nights of the Ghosts of Sotterley Tours! This year’s tours will run on October 13, 14, and 15th AND October 21 and 22nd.

Advance reservations are required. We cannot accommodate walk-ins. Tour times will begin at 7 p.m. and run every ten minutes. May not be suitable for young children. Dress appropriately for this spooky outdoor walking tour / production.

Tickets are $13 per person and may be purchased online: www.sotterley.org. Group rates are available by calling our office 301-373-2280.

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