Pristine History: Annapolis City Hall Restoration Controversy

The 2013 restoration of the meeting hall for the Annapolis City Council Chambers, as part of a $521,000 renovation and restoration of City Hall attracted a fair bit of coverage this past year as Aldermen and private citizens gave their two cents. In a historic city such as Annapolis where the character and provenance of…

Legacy of Slavery in Queen Anne’s Co., MD

My first public program with the Maryland State Archives (MSA) Legacy of Slavery in Maryland research project (LOSIM) went astoundingly well. Titled “Pistols and Petitions: Queen Anne’s Slave Self-Emancipation in the 19th Century,” it explored two ways in which Eastern Shore slaves freed themselves by joining the Union forces or petitioning the courts. Although I…