The View from the Loggia
Peter LaPorte, Executive Director
We Reopen Soon!
Tudor Hall is slated to re-open on Wednesday, February 19th. If you're a frequent visitor to the Historical Society, you may notice a couple of small changes in the layout of the Research Rooms. Nothing major but although closed, we haven't been sitting on our collective hands.
With the re-opening, we're pleased to welcome back intern Kacie Wright along with new intern Lainey Shankle. Both are students at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Kacie was with us last semester and she and Lainey will be with us through the Spring semester. . .and perhaps beyond.
But, we are of course saddened that our Archivist, Elizabeth Mathews-Kern, has left us. She and her husband have relocated to Annapolis leaving a very large gap at the Historical Society. Elizabeth, who joined us first as a volunteer then as part of staff, has made extraordinary contributions to our Archives, both physical and online. She will be missed.
The Archivist role is vitally important to the mission of the Historical Society. If you or someone you know has library or archiving experience and would like to continue Elizabeth's work (and that of Carol Moody before her), please let us know.
Put the Historical Society in the Palm of Your Hand!
Smartphones are a way of life for many if not most people. And while we frequently include QR Codes on our website to help you make reservations, donations, or renew memberships, our website doesn't look that good when viewed from a smartphone. But now it does! 
Members can now download the Historical Society website application and easily access all we have, from research to archives to reservations, membership renewals, donations, and more. If you're an iPhone user, go to the Apple Appstore; if you're and Android phone user, go to Google Play. In both cases, search for the "Club Express" application and download it to your phone.
Once it has downloaded and installed, enter your email and your Historical Society password and you're in. The three horizontal lines in the upper left corner (known as a "hamburger" by techno geeks around the world) will give you access to all the pages. This is a members-only benefit.
There are a couple of small glitches which we will clear up ASAP - but the good news is that wherever you go, the Historical Society can go with you.
Tim Benson, Director & Committee Chair
Speaking about technology, at their January meeting, the Directors elected Tim Benson to join the Board as a Director and Chair of the Technology Committee.
Tim has done an extraordinary bringing the Historical Society into the 21st Century. While much of his work is visible through the website, behind the scenes his projects have ranged widely. From ensuring safekeeping of our digital assets, through implementing our Research Catalog system, to even re-ordering our Research Room for improved efficiency and communications. We've been happy with him as a volunteer and are happier that his voice will now be heard as a Director.
February 26 is Moll Dyer Day
When the Moll Dyer Rock was moved from the Old Jail to Tudor Hall in 2021, Leonardtown Mayor Dan Burris proclaimed that "this and every February 26th shall be known as 'Moll Dyer Day'." Leonardtown and the Leonardtown Business Association happily embraced this celebration.
Although we've toned down the festivities at Tudor Hall, we encourage you to keep the 26th in mind. Despite all the press about Moll being a witch and casting a spell on Leonardtown, if not the entire County, we've long felt that the old gal was anything but a witch. Rather, it is much more likely that she was a scapegoat for the illness and deaths caused by a terrible flu epidemic during the Winter of 1697/98.
The Moll Dyer Rock can be found at Tudor Hall. Stoll by. Leave a trinket. Take a brochure and scan the QR Code to see a short film about her. Moll lives on!
Historically Speaking Underway for 2025
Over 100 members, friends, educators, and students packed the Daugherty-Palmer Commons at St. Mary's College of Maryland for Georgetown University Professor Dr. Chandra Manning's lecture A Dangerous Time in a Perilous Place: Uneasy Alliances in Civil War Era Southern Maryland. The lecture drew comments and praise from those in attendance. It was the first presentation of research conduct recently by Dr. Manning. If you missed it, a video is available on our website by clicking this link.
The next Historically Speaking will take place Wednesday, April 9th. Professor Chuck Holden of St. Mary's College of Maryland will speak on The Surprising Legacy of Maryland's Spiro Agnew. Dr. Holden has examined the former Maryland Governor's and Vice President's career closely - as well as the effect Agnew has had on subsequent political discourse down to today. This presentation will take place at the Inn at Leonardtown. See the Historical Society website for more details.
Another Historically Speaking is tentatively scheduled for Friday, May 23rd also at the Inn at Leonardtown. University of Maryland PhD candidate Valerie Hall will speak on indigenous women’s influence on seventeenth-century immigrant culture in Maryland. Watch for more information in the Tudor Hall Times and on our website.
Past issues of the Tudor Hall Times can be found on our website under Publications
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