Dear ~~first_name~~
You are cordially invited to an informal reception welcoming the St. Mary's Hotel Grand Piano to its new home at Tudor Hall!
The event will take place on Thursday, November 21st from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Ellynne Brice Davis will play the Grand accompanied by Lois Stephenson on violin. Light refreshments will be served.
As space is very limited, please RSVP by going to Events on our website and clicking on The St. Mary's Hotel Grand Piano Reception.
A bit of history should you be unfamiliar with the St. Mary's Hotel:
In 1907, William Bernard Duke build the St. Mary's Hotel at the corner of Washington Street and Park Avenue in Leonardtown. It quickly became a landmark where visitors arriving by steamboats, politicians, lawyers from the nearby County Courthouse, and ordinary folks would meet and mingle.
The hotel was acquired by Benjamin Kennedy Abell, Sr., and his wife Adelaide Lynch Abell in 1942. The Abell family took up residence in the hotel at the time, bring along Mrs. Abell's 1901 Sohmer Grand Piano which graced the hotel's lobby.
Longtime residents of St. Mary's County may recall the fire which, in the early morning of June 8, 1956, destroyed the hotel. Miraculously, the piano was spared and later moved to B. Kennedy Abell, Jr.'s home further up Washington Street where it remained until after his death at age 93.
In September 2024, the Abell family generously donated it to the St. Mary’s County Historical Society to serve as a reminder of the Abell family’s history and of the town’s past. Through the generous support of the Leonardtown Arts & Entertainment Council, the piano was recently tuned and cleaned.
The 123 year-old piano, a treasured memory of Leonardtown and the Abell family, is now in the parlor at Tudor Hall where it will be preserved for all to see, to hear, and to recall days gone by.
We look forward to your joining us at this special event!
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