Our New Signage and We're Extending the Season!

Each year as the end of October approaches, we begin preparing for the end of the guided tour season and the closing of our Visitor Center. This year, however, we are pleased to announce that our Visitor Center will remain open every weekend through Saturday, December 20, 2014 (with the exception of Thanksgiving weekend) to enhance the experience of all visitors coming to Sotterley.

Once checked in at the Visitor Center, guests will be invited to view our introductory film and shop for unique gifts at the Sotterley Museum Shop. They can also take our fascinating Self-Guided Audio Tour, hike the over six miles of Nature Trails, stroll the Colonial Revival Gardens, and check out the NEW exhibit panels displayed throughout the grounds while being guided by our new site brochure.

Sixteen panels have been installed on site to engage, inform, and direct viewers through our rich history, telling the stories of the people who lived and worked at Sotterley over three centuries. The panels combine text and images that bring to life the experiences of owners, servants, workers and members of the enslaved community. Many panels have interactive components designed especially for children, in which a question is posed, and part of the panel moves or changes to reveal the answer. Some panels also feature textured objects that help visitors learn about crops, textiles, and materials and equipment used during Sotterley’s many years as a working farm.

Sheila Gibbons Hiebert of Communication Research Associates, Inc. in Colton’s Point, researched the historical content and wrote the text that appears on the signage and our new brochure. She worked closely with Sotterley Education Director Jeanne Pirtle, an impeccable source of Sotterley history, who chose the images for the panels, and St. Mary’s College Professor Emerita Merideth Taylor, chair of Sotterley’s Interpretation Committee.  The signs were fabricated by exhibits specialist Dennis Kund. The signage project was funded in part by a grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.

“The new site exhibits have enhanced the Sotterley experience and we wanted to give the public more opportunities to come and be re-introduced to the site,” stated Nancy Easterling, Executive Director of Historic Sotterley, Inc. “Our dedicated volunteers are also making it possible for us to extend the season by their willingness to man the Visitor Center every weekend – and we couldn’t be more grateful!”

November 1 - December 20, 2014

Saturday Hours: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm         

Sunday Hours: 11:45 am - 4 pm