Historical Society of Talbot County [MD]
The Historical Society of Talbot County seeks to preserve and share the history of Talbot County, Maryland. To this end, the society operates a museum and three historic residences. The residences are the circa 1795 cottage of cabinetmaker Jospeh Neall, the 1805-1810 Federal-style townhouse of Joseph's brother James, and a partial reconstruction of an early homestead. The townhouse contains period furnishings. The society collections include more than 10,000 artifacts, archives, and at least 100,000 photographs. Roughly 15 percent of the artifact collection is on view at any given time. Collection highlights include the sign of a local suffrage group, local packing labels, illustrated journals by Quaker William E. Bartlett (1793-1865), and a lithograph by artist Ruth Starr Rose (1887-1965).
The society offers exhibits, historic home tours, a self-guided tour of Easton's downtown, a self-guided driving tour of Frederick Douglass' life in the area, gardens, and period rooms. Reservations are required for group tours.