NEWS FROM FOUR RIVERS
March 26, 2019
This Weekend -- Maryland Day Celebration 2019!
Get ready for Maryland Day Celebration Weekend 2019!

Celebrate the State of Maryland at more than 40 historic and cultural sites in Annapolis and Southern Anne Arundel County.

This year the Maryland Day Celebration event is Friday through Sunday, March 29-31.

Join Four Rivers for its own event during the weekend, the Flag-Raising at Susan Campbell Park on Saturday at 10 a.m.! Get a "passport" and get stamps at all the participating sites! Wear your Maryland colors!

 The event brochures are available at the sites and the Visit Annapolis Visitors Center!


12th Annual Event! Every year Maryland's birthday weekend is marked with family-friendly activities celebrating its rich history and culture. Experience Maryland's history and culture at more than 40 sites between Annapolis and South County with a special admission price at each location of $1 or FREE. For details on how to plan your day, visit the event website here .
Lunch and Learn! "Maryland: A History"
Wednesday, March 27
12:00 - 2:00 pm
Maryland State Archives
350 Rowe Blvd, Annapolis

Come celebrate Maryland Day with Dr. Jean B. Russo, co-editor and a co-author of the newly published,  Maryland: A History . Dr. Russo will share some highlights from this second edition, including and exploration of some of the approximately 200 color images which show the many ways to visually document the past, as well as discuss the wide range of sources available to provide evidence of over 400 years of the state’s history. Please join us at the Archives for a commemoration of our great state’s founding! Copies of  Maryland: A History  will also be available for purchase and author signing. Learn more here .

Registration: Please email or call Emily Oland Squires to RSVP at  emily.squires@maryland.gov   or  410-260-6443 . Please note: A valid photo ID is required to enter the Archives building.
Lecture on Women’s Suffrage Movement
Wednesday, March 27
6:00-7:00 pm
William Paca House and Garden
186 Prince George Street, Annapolis

As America approaches the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, join historian Kacy Rohn for a lecture on the history of the suffrage movement in Maryland – and a look at the historic places where this story unfolded. This hour-long program will explore the history and current preservation efforts aimed at documenting this important moment in American history. The lecture is a part of Preservation Maryland’s current campaign to document Maryland’s women’s suffrage history and is supported by a grant from the Maryland Historical Trust.

Cost: Free. Learn more here .
Climate Change 101: What Does It Mean to Me?
Wednesday, March 27
7:00-9:00 pm
Annapolis Maritime Museum
723 Second Street, Annapolis

It is clear that the climate is changing rapidly. The Chesapeake is already being affected by sea level rise, severe weather and other aspects of Climate Change. But what does this mean to the average person? What exactly are the international agreements all about? Can the science be explained in a common-sense manner? How will this affect my health? Is there anything we, our communities, and our local governments can do to be resilient in the face of a changing climate?

Annapolis Green and Presenting Sponsor Hannon Armstrong are offering a year-long series of talks entitled “Tread Lightly on the Earth” to address these essential questions and other related issues. The first talk, “Climate Change 101: What Does it Mean to Me?” will be held on Wednesday, March 27, 7 p.m., at the Annapolis Maritime Museum, a fitting location as it feels the effect of sea level rise on a daily basis. Learn more here.
African American Life in Colonial Annapolis
Thursday, March 28
10:00am-12:00pm
William Paca House and Garden
186 Prince George Street, Annapolis

This Thursday, Historian Jean Russo will present an overview of the experiences of Africans and African Americans in Annapolis over the course of the eighteenth century. A variety of sources and perspectives illuminate working lives, family relationships, efforts to escape bondage, and the opportunities and limitations available to free and enslaved blacks in a slave society.

Cost: Free for HA Docents and Docents-in-Training; $5 HA Members and Volunteers; $10 General Admission. Learn more here.
Exhibition Opening of "A Perfect Profile" at Hammond-Harwood House
Opening April 1 to the public!

Hammond-Harwood House
19 Maryland Ave, Annapolis

Today the word profile has become synonymous with social media, yet the concept developed in America much earlier. The artist Charles Willson Peale wrote in 1803 that “profiles are seen in nearly every house in the United States of America.” Profiles, another name for silhouettes, were incredibly inexpensive and popular. In the years leading up to and after the American Revolution, citizens of this new nation redefined their culture, fashion, and character. People wanted to identify themselves through portraiture but expensive oil paintings were out of reach for most families. Instead people turned to miniature portraits and silhouettes.

The exhibition highlights pieces with Annapolis provenance never before seen together. The collection of the Hammond-Harwood House Museum will be featured along with loans from the Maryland State Archives, Naval Academy Art Museum, and the Maryland Historical Society. Learn more here.
This Week! Women of Color in Legislative Roles
Thursday, March 28
6:00-8:00 pm
Banneker-Douglass Museum
84 Franklin St, Annapolis
  
Join the Banneker-Douglass Museum for a panel discussion with expert women legislators as they share their experiences and encourage other women of color to seek roles in legislative positions.

Marilyn Mosby, Baltimore States Attorney, will be among the panelists. Marilyn Mosby currently serves as the State's Attorney for Baltimore City, and is the youngest chief prosecutor of any major American city. Mosby witnessed first-hand the impact of trauma associated with crime when her honor-roll cousin was gunned down in broad daylight outside of Mosby’s home due to mistaken identity. That horrific experience propelled Mosby to turn her pain into passion by becoming a first-generation college graduate, and pursuing her dreams of becoming an attorney and reforming the criminal justice system.

Come be empowered and encouraged; you don’t want to miss this event. Register here .
The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture Celebrates its 50th Anniversary – We Rise
This year marks the yearlong 50th Anniversary of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC), and this year’s theme is “We Rise, Preserving Maryland’s African American Heritage”.

Since its founding in 1969 by Senator Verda Freeman Welcome (the nation’s first African American female State Senator) and Dr. Benjamin Arthur Quarles (Morgan State University Professor of History and renowned African American Historian), the Commission has given rise to a 21-seat statewide commission appointed by the Governor.

Key resources include the State’s official museum on African American History and Culture (Banneker Douglass Museum) and the State's $1-million African American Heritage Preservation Grant Program. Learn more here.
Four Rivers Heritage Area | 410-222-1805 | heritage_area@aacounty.org | fourriversheritage.org