The Brome Slave and Tenant Quarter during the Transition from Slavery to Freedom
On June 20, Michigan State University Ph.D. candidate and HSMC Special Projects Researcher Terry Peterkin Brock will offer a lecture about his recent archaeological, historical, and architectural research on the Brome Slave Quarters.
By the Civil War, the area that was once the first capital of Maryland was home to almost 60 enslaved African Americans. With names like Biscoe, Butler, Whalen, and Gough, these families worked the fields of John Mackall Brome, one of the largest producers of wheat and tobacco in Maryland’s First District. They lived in a row of slave houses on the property. After Emancipation, some former slaves went elsewhere to investigate their newfound freedom. Others remained. Discover how the African American laborers who stayed experienced Emancipation.
Find out about current efforts being taken by Historic St. Mary’s City to preserve and interpret the quarter and the history of these families–through a digital exhibit (http://stmaryscity.org/walktogether) and social media (@walktogethr on Twitter) and the preservation and interpretation of the duplex quarter that remains.
This free lecture will take place at 7 p.m. in the Historic St. Mary’s City Visitor Center auditorium (18751 Hogaboom Lane).
Historic St. Mary’s City is a museum of living history and archaeology on the site of Maryland’s first capital in beautiful, tidewater Southern Maryland. For more information about this program or the museum, contact the Visitor Center at 240-895-4990, 800-SMC-1634, or info@stmaryscity.org.
