Raiders & Invaders at Sotterley!

Final Performances of 

“THE CHOICE” 
during Raiders & Invaders Weekend

The British are coming! 
The British are coming!

If the thought of time travel has ever appealed to you, then you’re going to enjoy The War of 1812 Raiders & Invaders Weekend in St. Mary’sCounty from June 6^th – 8^th, 2014.  Although there were no major battles fought in our area during that time so long ago, there was plenty of chaos. Get ready for a full weekend of street theater, circus arts, invasion route boat tours, a British Invasion of 1960s music, and Sotterley’s final performances of “The Choice: Risking Your Life for Freedom.”

“During the last two summers, audiences have joined us for “The Choice,” which is the Sotterley story during The War of 1812,” stated Nancy Easterling, Executive Director of Sotterley. “This year will be the third and final year of performances, as we partner with St. Mary’s County Tourism in bringing about the Raiders & Invaders Weekend.”

“The Choice: Risking Your Life for Freedom” performances will run on Saturday, June 7^th  -  10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, or 3 pm and Sunday, June 8^th  -  1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm. Purchase Tickets Online : www.sotterley.org. $10.00 per person. For adults, seniors, & children ages 6 and older. Children under 6 are free.  Parents please use your own discretion and be considerate of others in the group when making the decision for your child to participate.

Visitors are invited into the Drawing Room of the 1703 Plantation House, where the drama unfolds. British war ships have sailed up the Patuxent River; neighboring farms are being torched to the ground. Sotterley owners John Rousby Plater and his wife Elizabeth have cleared out the household furnishings, desperately trying to figure out their next move. Guests will experience another scene in the 1830’s Slave Cabin, where enslaved house servant, Peregrine bolts into the Slave Cabin, trying to convince Elcie to make the run toward freedom. British naval officer, Commodore Brown arrives on the scene, not only promising freedom to the plantation’s 64 enslaved people, but also presenting a severe ultimatum to the Sotterley owners.

In FY2011, Sotterley was awarded grants from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority, the Maryland Humanities Council, and the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium to create a living history script from Sotterley’s unique story of the War of 1812, as well as the costuming and props needed for the production. Due to the support from these three organizations, Sotterley shares a unique story with a perspective rarely told about the War of 1812.

Click here to purchase tickets!

 

For details on Raiders & Invaders

in St. Mary's County this weekend,

please CLICK HERE!

 

Escape or Stay?

FINAL SHOWING

“The Choice – Risking Your Life for Freedom”

The War of 1812 Living History

at Sotterley Plantation

June 7 & 8, 2014

Sotterley Plantation’s War of 1812 Living History “The Choice” is now in its final year of the three year National bicentennial commemoration of this war. As a partner of the Raiders & Invaders event taking place in St. Mary’s County during the first weekend in June, showings of “The Choice” will take place at Sotterley Plantation on Saturday, June 7^th, 2014 at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. and on Sunday, June 8^th, 2014 at 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. Reservations must be made in advance.

The war with the British brought hardship to the plantation but a chance at freedom for the enslaved. At this living history presentation you will meet the people who lived and labored at Sotterley during the summer of 1814.  Join us and be a part of the drama as Sotterley’s enslaved must make a difficult and daring choice. Do they escape or do they stay?  

What would you decide? 

This Living History event was written by Dale Jones of Making History Connections with costuming designed by Leon Wiebers of Loyola Marymount University. This event and its current production has been made possible by the generosity of the Maryland Humanities Council, Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium, and The Star Spangled 200.

Advanced reservations required.

$10 per person for ages 6 and up; FREE for children under 6.

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets!

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Final 2012 Performance of "THE CHOICE"

The final 2012 showing of our War of 1812 Living History Event "THE CHOICE - Risking Your Life for Freedom" will be held this Saturday, August 11th. The first two performance times are full, but we do have availability at 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.


Groups of visitors are invited into the Drawing Room of the 1703 Plantation House, where the drama unfolds. British war ships have sailed up the Patuxent River; neighboring farms are being torched to the ground. Sotterley owners John Rousby Plater and his wife Elizabeth have cleared out the household furnishings, desperately trying to figure out their next move. Guests will experience another scene in the 1830’s Slave Cabin, where enslaved house servant, Peregrine bolts into the Slave Cabin, trying to convince Elcie to make the run toward freedom. British naval officer, Commodore Brown arrives on the scene, not only promising freedom to the plantation’s 64 enslaved people, but also presenting a severe ultimatum to the Sotterley owners.

Would you risk your life for FREEDOM?

In FY2011, Sotterley was awarded grants from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority, the Maryland Humanities Council, and the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium to create a living history script from Sotterley’s unique story of the War of 1812, as well as the costuming and props needed for the production. When the script and costuming were completed it was time to begin production, and Old Line Bank stepped forward to generously sponsor the production phase of this project. Due to the support from these three organizations, Sotterley is now able to share a unique story with a perspective rarely told about the War of 1812.

This event is FREE to the public, but space is limited. Advanced reservations can be made by calling the Sotterley office at 301-373-2280. Walk-ins welcome on a first come, first served basis.

The War of 1812 at Sotterley & Southern Maryland

2012 Speaker Series at Sotterley

Edward C. Papenfuse, Ph.D.

“The War of 1812 at Sotterley and Southern Maryland”
Sunday, September 9

3:00 p.m. in the Barn

Sotterley Plantation is proud to partner with The Boeing Company in announcing the upcoming 2012 Speaker Series presentation entitled “The War of 1812 at Sotterley and Southern Maryland” by Edward C. Papenfuse, Ph.D.


Dr. Papenfuse has held the positions of Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents since 1975. As director of the extensive activities of the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, he is responsible for the Archives’ vast collection of government and private materials and dealing with the materials that the Archives has made available online to the public, especially regarding research on Maryland slaves who fled to the British forces during the War of 1812. He is the author of numerous articles and books, has developed an approach to providing reference services and teaching courses on the Internet, played a major role in the design of the present Archives building, initiated the creation of the award-winning Maryland State Archives website, and teaches courses at the University of Maryland College Park, the University of Maryland Law School, and the Johns Hopkins University.

This event is FREE to the public. Advance reservations are required due to limited seating. Call 301-373-2280 to make your reservation.

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.


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"The Choice" - War of 1812 Living History

Sotterley Plantation’s War of 1812 Living History “The Choice” will be part of the three year national bicentennial commemoration of this war in our region. “The Choice” will take place on June 9th, July 14th, and August 11th, with showings of the performance at 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on each event date.

The war with the British brought hardship to the plantation but a chance at freedom for the enslaved. At the living history presentations you will meet the people who lived and labored at Sotterley during the summer of 1814. Come to one of our events and be a part of the drama as slaves must make a difficult and daring choice. What will you decide?

In FY2011, Sotterley was awarded grants from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority, the Maryland Humanities Council, and the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium to create a living history script from Sotterley’s unique story of the War of 1812, as well as the costuming and props needed for the production. Now that the script and costuming had been completed it was time to begin production, and Old Line Bank stepped forward to generously sponsor the production phase of this project. Due to the support from these three organizations, Sotterley will now be able to share a unique story with a perspective rarely told about the War of 1812.

This event is FREE to the public, but space is limited. Advanced reservations can be made by calling the Sotterley office at 301-373-2280.

War of 1812 Living History Events

Sotterley has set dates for our War of 1812 Living History, “The Choice - Risking Your Life for Freedom” written by Dale Jones of Making History Connections and to be directed by Dawna Diaz. The events will kick-off the three-year national bicentennial commemoration of this war. “The Choice” will take place on June 9th, July 14th, and August 11th, with several showings of the performance on each event date: 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.

In FY2011, Sotterley was awarded grants from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, the Maryland Humanities Council, and the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium to create a living history script from Sotterley’s unique story of the War of 1812, as well as the costuming and props needed for the production. When the script and costuming were completed it was time to begin production, and Old Line Bank stepped forward to generously sponsor the production phase of this project.

Due to the support from these three organizations, Sotterley will now be able to share a unique story with a perspective rarely told about the War of 1812. The war with the British brought hardship to the plantation but a chance at freedom for the enslaved. At the living history presentations you will meet the people who lived and labored at Sotterley during the summer of 1814. Come to one of our events and be a part of the drama as slaves must make a difficult and daring choice. What will you decide?