The St. Mary’s County Museum Division, in partnership with the Baltimore Orioles, has teamed up to bring awareness to the important themes of Black History Month by sharing Maryland’s local Black history with the community.
While supplies last, visitors to the Old Jail Museum in Leonardtown, St. Clement’s Island Museum in Colton’s Point or Piney Point Lighthouse Museum in Piney Point will receive a complimentary voucher for 2 Orioles tickets with museum admission during Black History Month in February 2022 (conditions apply).
As the birthplace of Maryland, St. Mary’s County is brimming with the history and contributions of the many African Americans who shaped the Old Line State and called Maryland home. The St. Mary’s County Museum Division encourages the public to visit local museums and learn more about this vibrant past, including the historic sites of the Old Jail Museum, St. Clement’s Island Museum and Piney Point Lighthouse Museum.
The Old Jail Museum in Leonardtown is one of only three sites in St. Mary’s County on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Trail, which documents the plight of recaptured Freedom Seekers held at the jail before the American Civil War. It also discusses Benjamin Hance, a young black St. Mary’s County man who was taken from the jail in 1887 and killed outside of Leonardtown by a mob of residents – St. Mary’s County’s only documented lynching victim. St. Clement’s Island Museum, the first landing of settlers of what would become Maryland, talks about the origins of Maryland and Matthias de Sousa, an indentured servant of African descent, who was the first and only Black person to serve in the colonial Maryland legislature after coming to Maryland on the first voyage. Piney Point Lighthouse Museum shows the history of lighthouses and the Potomac, including the many Black watermen who plied the waters around St. Mary’s County for oysters, crabs and more.
To claim the ticket voucher, guests must visit one of the three St. Mary’s County Museum Division museums during February 2022 and specifically ask for a voucher during admission due to limited quantities. Only one voucher good for two tickets will be available per party/group and visitors who already claimed a voucher may not claim a voucher again at one of the other museums, so they are available for as many guests as possible.
Available while supplies last; only 30 vouchers are available per museum.
In February, the Old Jail Museum, St. Clement’s Island Museum and Piney Point Lighthouse Museum are open daily, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Entrance is free at the Old Jail Museum; admission fees apply at the other museums.
