Tudor Hall's willow oaks are in bud. Grass is greening. Flowers are pushing up. Members and visitors are starting to flock in to the Research Center. Yes, it's Spring!
As you will read below, this year - our 75th - is going to be a busy one. First, we'll be over at Piney Point and St. George Island on April 11th and 12th to honor the Semiquincentenial. Yours truly will speak briefly at the unveiling of a marker commemorating the Battle of St. George Island on the 12th. That battle, by the way, was the Maryland's largest during the Revolution.
On the 23rd, our second Historically Speaking of the year will be take place. The story to be told is engrossing and unusual. Details are below.
Then, in the blink of an eye, on May 8th the 2026 Spring Dinner & Annual General Meeting will take place. It's an important one this year and we urge members to attend. Details and a link for reservations are below, as well.
Members will have received an email and postcard urging them to set aside September 11th - the date of our 75th Anniversary Celebration the details of which will be unveiled at the May 8th dinner. That's going to be a great evening!
Ah, Spring and the promises it brings!
Historically Speaking
April 23rd at 7:00pm Prof. Mary Hall will present Every Man His Own Historian: Civil War Diaries of Two Opposing Soldiers. This is an engrossing story of a Union private who kept his diary faithfully for six months before abandoning it outside of Richmond in June 1862. A Confederate soldier – Professor Hall’s great-grandfather – found the book and, in entries spanning over thirty months, wrote of illnesses that nearly killed him, a religious conversion that changed the arc of his life, and his grueling experiences as a prisoner of war.
The program will take place in the Cole Cinema in the Student Union at St. Mary's College of Maryland and, as always, in partnership with our good friends at the Center for the Study of Democracy. Reservations are strongly recommended. Click here.
2026 Spring Dinner & General Meeting
The 2026 Spring Dinner and Annual General Meeting will be held May 8th at the Olde Breton Inn. This year's agenda is jam-packed - all of interesting and important. The highlights:
Our guest speaker, Robert Crickenberger will present his newly published book, Point Lookout, Maryland: The Largest Civil War Prison. Bob researched hitherto unpublished material to explore the complex experiences of both guards and prisoners. Postwar accounts, steeped in survivor bias and “Lost Cause” rhetoric, have long dominated the story—until now. His will be an revealing presentation.
The evening includes presentation of the third annual Pete Himmelheber Award. The award, named in honor of the Historical Society's late Director, historian, and editor of the Chronicles
of St. Mary's, is presented to an individual or individuals for outstanding contributions, preservation, and interpretation of St. Mary's County History. Nominations come from members and recipients are chosen the Board of Directors.
Who will be the 2026 winner?
Election of Directors and Officers is also on tap during the evening. Three Directors are up for re-election as well as three Officers. The Reservation Page has the details.
And, we will unveil what we have planned for the Historical Society's 75th Anniversary Celebration on September 11th. We think you will be delighted to learn what we have in store to make our 75th Anniversary memorable, and to lay the groundwork for another seventy-five years!
Reservations are a must! So, please click on this link as soon as you can. On the reservation page, you'll find additional details about everything on the program. If you don't want to reserve online, you can download a Reservation Form below and mail it to us.
If you're not a member, how about joining us! A downloadable Membership Form is attached below.
Past issues of the Tudor Hall Times can be found on our website under Publications