The Colonial port town of Lower Marlboro will bustle again on Saturday, Oct. 11, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., with Lower Marlboro Freedom Day, a festival celebrating the bicentennial of the War of 1812. No shots will be fired in the celebration of the freedom of 13 slaves from Lower Marlboro who took refuge with British forces in 1814.
The event will begin with exhibits on the war and life at the time on display at the Lower Marlboro Hall near the end of Lower Marlboro Road, and with performances at the Lower Marlboro United Methodist Church on Lower Marlboro Lane.
Maya Davis, research historian from the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland division of the Maryland State Archives, will speak at 2 p.m. at the church. Scotti Preston, a well-known living history interpreter, will follow with a lively presentation of her art. Joan Fowler Vigil will share stories of the Fowlers’ role in the Underground Railroad near Hall’s Creek on the church grounds. Musical groups, including one from Brooks United Methodist Church, will play and food will be available hot off Paul Jones’ grill.
Local residents will be on hand to answer questions and demonstrate crafts. A new brochure will guide visitors around the oldest part of the village of Lower Marlboro. Some of the houses there witnessed the War of 1812.
The landowners whose slaves fled from Lower Marlboro were members of All Saints Episcopal Church. The church will be open for self-guided tours and a shuttle will leave from the nearby park-and-ride to Lower Marlboro every hour on the half hour. A limited amount of parking is available next to the hall in Lower Marlboro.
The event is sponsored by Bayside History Museum; Calvert County Chapter of the NAACP; Calvert County Historical Society; Calvert County Historic District Commission; Maryland State Archives; Mt. Harmony – Lower Marlboro United Methodist Church; and Preservation Maryland.
For more information, contact Kirsti Uunila at 410-535-1600, ext. 2504 or email uunilak@co.cal.md.us.