Women's Suffrage in Talbot County

	"Votes for Women" Date: circa 1910 Given by: Mary Bartlett Dixon Cullen 1980.214.1

Up until 1920, one half of the American population could not legally vote - the female half. This painted wooden sign was produced around 1910 by the Just Franchise League of Talbot County, urging for suffrage (or the right to vote) for women. Movements and organizations like the Just Franchise League were found all over the country and proudly boasted male and female members. The offices for Talbot County's suffrage group was found in the 2nd floor of #10 North Washington Street in Easton.

Canning History in Talbot County
These seafood labels illustrate just a small portion of the maritime history that exists in this county. From the watermen's way of life to the processing of seafood products at the canneries, these labels from the William H. Valliant & Bro. Packing Company are tangible examples of this cultural element of Talbot County history.

	"Valliant's Delight" labels Date: circa 1880 Given by: Bill Miller (Denton, MD) FIC2001.578

In addition to all forms of seafood, including oyster and crab meats and products, Valliant's packing house also canned vegetables and fruits, including string beans, tomatoes, figs, rhubarb, spinach, and asparagus. Decreasing oyster populations in the late 19th-century led various canning companies to diversify into the fruit and vegetable markets, which could be easily supported by the agricultural population of Talbot County and the Eastern Shore. "Valliant's Delight" products were shipped from Texas to Canada and by 1910, Valliant and his Eastern Shore competition were supplying one third of the toal fruit and vegetable markets for the entire country. The Valliant company was a huge employer in Talbot County, specifically for African-Americans, drastically effecting the cultural and economic landscape of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Turner, one of Valliant's employees would strike out on his own and open another packing plant in Bellevue, founding one of Talbot County's first African-American owned businesses and one of Talbot County's largest employment opportunities.

Quaker History in Talbot County
Three illustrated journals written by prominent local Quaker William E. Bartlett (1793-1865) contain childhood recollections, stories, and accounts from Bartlett's life, as well as original poems and eulogies. He also included copies of stories, quotes, and poems from well-known authors and contemporary newspapers.

	Illustration from Bartlett Journals Date: circa 1840 Given by: Elizabeth Coale Humphrey 1982.3.7

The journals recount the history of William Bartlett's family (including his mother, father, siblings, wife, and children) and the births and deaths of family and friends. From 1832 to 1864, Bartlett worked diligently to record his life in Talbot County and in Baltimore as he traveled between the two. As can be seen by this illustration of a family social visit to a neighbor's home, Bartlett attempted to capture the flavor of his life on both shores. He provides fascinating illustrated accounts of life in the big city, transportation between the Eastern and Western Shores of Maryland, Talbot County's cultural traditions including fishing and crabbing and boating, and interactions with local African-American, Quaker, merchant, and abolitionist populations. These are fascinating early examples of community preservation and provide many clues to social, economic, and political conditions of Maryland in the antebellum period.

Elegant Decorative Arts in Talbot County

	English Tea Service Date: circa 1820 Given by: Mrs. Philip L. Travers 85.14.15

This tea service, made circa 1820 by Anstice Horton & Rose of Coalport, England, is just one of the many examples of fine decorative arts in the collection of the Historical Society of Talbot County. From ornate furniture to elegant home furnishings, the Historical Society collection illustrates the high quality of luxury items being brought to Talbot County throughout history. This particular tea service is handpainted, with gold leaf as a background to the flowers. It also features a chain link motif on the inside of the set's cups and bowls, and above and below the flowers on the teapot, the creamers, and the sugar bowls.

Everyday Life in Talbot County

	Neall/Wilmott Tall Case Clock Date: circa 1800 Given by: Emily T. Humphreys 1985.1.4

In addition to the elegant and fine antiques, the Historical Society collection also features the everyday, ordinary items such as spoons, sausage stuffers, candle holders, and bed linens that define the experiences of the non-luxury populations of history. This tall clock is one of these 'ordinary' objects. The case was made by Easton craftsman James Neall (whose home is featured on the Historical Society's Historic Homes Tour) and the face was marked by Benjamin Wilmott, a silversmith in Easton, Maryland, between 1797 and 1816.

The African-American Community in Talbot County
Freedom's Friend Lodge 1024 formed in 1867 in St. Michaels as a black mutual aid and fraternal society under the auspices of The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows.

	Freedom's Friend Lodge Ceremonial Podiums Date: circa 1870 Co-owned: by the Historical Society of Talbot County and the Maryland Historical Society 99.5.1

A formal lodge building was constructed in 1883 and still stands today on Fremont Street in St. Michaels. The material and oral history evidence of this organization, and its sister organization, The House of Ruth, are important keys to Talbot County's black history. Not only are their ceremonial objects, such as this set of podiums, powerful examples of folk art, they are also just one of the many valuable illustrations of the strength and size of the black community in Talbot County throughout history.

A Famous Artist from Talbot County
Ruth Starr Rose, one of America's foremost lithographers, happily called Talbot County her home in the middle part of the 20th century. Known internationally for her black and white and colored lithographs,

	"Hell's Crossing" by Ruth Starr Rose Date: circa 1940 Given by: Ruth Starr Rose 1958.6.19

Rose's works can be viewed in such prestigious museums as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, and the John Hays Hammond Collection of Modern Art. Rose came to the Eastern Shore of Maryland as a yong woman and began her art career by drawing the scenes of everyday life around her, including the lives of the African-Americans who lived near her hom on Lloyd Creek, in Copperville proper, and in the streets and businesses of St. Michaels. Inspired by the spiritual life of these communities, Ruth Starr Rose later created images that illustrated the Gospel music she heard in song. She resided for most of her life at Hope House in Copperville, Maryland and attended the Deshield United Methodist Church. This particular black and white lithograph, entitled "Hell's Crossing," depicts a street scene in the neighborhood of St. Michaels known as Hell's Crossing, supposedly named when the rowdy sailors would make their ways home after a time away at sea and an evening back on shore.

Great Personalities in Talbot County
In addition to such bright luminaries as Frederick Douglass and Harold Baines, Talbot County has produced numerous other outstanding and noteworthy persons.

	The Nathaniel Hopkins Family Date: circa 1890 Given by: Wilbert Roberts 1987.2.1

One example would be Nathaniel Hopkins, who is pictured here with his wife Caroline and 2 of their 6 children. Nathaniel Hopkins, known familiarly throughout Talbot County as "Uncle Nace," was born a slave in Trappe, Maryland, around 1831. After serving the Union army in the Civil War, Hopkins returned to Talbot County to work for the betterment of the newly-free black population in the southern area of the county, including the 1878 establishment and construction of Trappe's first black school. In 1867, Nathaniel Hopkins founded Emancipation Day in Talbot County, to celebrate Maryland's emancipation of its slaves, which occurred on November 1, 1864 with the adoption of the new state constitution. This momentous event marked Maryland as the first slave state to voluntarily free its slaves by popular vote; Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 had only freed slaves in states of rebellion, of which Maryland was not one. Trappe's Emancipation Day festivities included church services, speakers, food, music, and a parade. Every year, Hopkins himself led the parade, dressed in his full Union army uniform, with his epaulets gleaming at his shoulder, a colorful sash around his waist, and his gleaming sword in hand. Upon his death in 1900, the citizens of the town of Trappe decided to continue the tradition of the Emancipation Day festivities. "Uncle Nace" and his contributions to the post-emancipation black community are remembered to this day every November 1st on what is now known as "Nace Hopkins Day."

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