I've enjoyed being part of the Historical Society since March, 2019, though shamefully and embarrassingly, I confess to never having grasped fully  why this building is named Tudor Hall. Why Tudor? Their era had long past when the building, much less the plantation, was built. And, why Hall instead of Manor? Then, confounding me even more, , I fumbled trying to explain the meaning of America Felix Secundus when giving tours or talking about the plantation of which this Hall is part. Unable to take cover any longer, I did some research, to find what you surely knew all along.

By the 18th century, the Tudor period, which ended in 1603, had been romanticized as a golden era of English power, culture, and exploitation. The Tudors evoked ideas of nobility and grandeur. Their name would lend distinction to the grand building. There is also a tenuous connection of the Key family with the the Tudors. So, it is likely that the Tudor Hall name followed the 1820 renovations made by Henry G.S. Key, bringing the brick building to its current design.  As a Georgian-style house, naming it Tudor Hall Key associated it with a noble-sounding British tradition thus elevating its - and Key's - stature in the community.

America Felix Secundus is a bit more involved - but in brief: 

A literal translation might read Happy America the Second. However, during the Baroque era of the 17th and 18th centuries, the phrase meant something other than what it does today (recall that the pre-eminent composer of the Baroque era, Johanne Sebastian Bach wasn't born until 1685, 51 years almost to the day after the Ark and Dove arrived at St. Clements Island). So, according to scholars, Abraham Barnes, the plantation's founder, chose an elegant, Baroque-inspired translation:

America, Happy and Prosperous 

Our Volunteers are Extraordinary

Our Research Volunteers often receive heartfelt thank you's from assisting and guiding members and guests with their genealogical and historical research projects. 

Recently, Dr. Michael McKee and his wife, Historical Society members from Charlottesville, VA, visited Tudor Hall to do some digging into family history. On leaving, Dr. McKee was effusive in his praise, saying among other things, that watching our Research Volunteers was "like watching a well-oiled machine, they worked together so well and were so helpful." He was similarly amazed at the amount and depth of information they found, especially as most of the family line was out-of-state. 

We love to hear comments like these, of course. Our volunteers love what they do and get immense satisfaction from doing it well. They welcome complements like Dr. McKee's, of course. Their greatest pleasure, though, is knowing that they've opened someone's eyes to their family, to the past, and perhaps to part of themselves.

Two New Videos on the Website

If you missed the August 20th Historically Speaking with Valerie J. Hall, PhD candidate at the University of Maryland, you can find it at this link.

Sotterley, Sotterley

Later this month, Members will receive an email invitation (or, if we don't have your email address, by regular mail) announcing details of the Fall Dinner on October 24th. In a first-of-its-kind format for a member dinner, Donald Barber and David Brown will jointly present and converse about four generations of the Barber family, from days of enslavement at Historic Sotterley Plantation through today; about the challenges and the joys of growing up and living in a racially diverse community. 

This will be an inspiring conversation about courage, persistence, and faith--all of which apply to all people at all times. Mark your calendars.

Coincidentally, St. Mary's County artist Nicole Stewart will mount an exhibit of portraits at Montgomery Hall at St. Mary's College of Maryland in the Boyden Gallery .

Tudor Engineering Survey: An Update

On August 29th, the window closed for proposals to conduct a detailed engineering survey of Tudor Hal. We received seven proposals from among fifteen firms who showed interest in the project. 

The changes arise as we shift from Past Perfect to a newer--and considerably less costly--platform, Catalog It. This platform will make it easier to navigate to find information and all manner of things in our Archives.

Past issues of the Tudor Hall Times can be found on our website under Publications