Maryland Public Television (MPT) will premiere a one-hour documentary, “Ben’s Ten: Chattel Slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore,” as part of the station’s recognition of Black History Month. The documentary sheds light on the lives of enslaved Marylanders, including a young Harriet Tubman.

Following the documentary’s premiere on Feb. 19 at 9 p.m., MPT will air a series of 20 additional documentaries as part of the station’s Black History Month lineup.

“Ben’s Ten” follows Maryland Department of Transportation Chief Archaeologist Dr. Julie Schablitsky and a team of archaeologists and historians. They uncover artifacts that illustrate something of what the lives of enslaved people were like in Dorchester and Talbot counties in the 1800s.

The team discovered remnants of a home believed to belong to Ben Ross, the father of Harriet Tubman. Tubman’s descendants join the Schablitsky’s team to examine the homesite and its surrounding 10 acres known as “Ben’s Ten.” The property once belonged to enslaver Anthony Thompson and what the team uncovers in its excavation illuminates and confirms the harsh and cruel realities enslaved people faced. Ben’s Ten is now part of Blackwater National Wildlife refuge.

The program also features other sites, including another home on the Thompson property, where the team discovers what they believe is a “spirit bundle” that belonged to an enslaved family. The program takes viewers to slave quarters at Talbot County’s Wye Plantation, and to the home of a doctor, his family, and their enslaved laborers in Cambridge, MD.

Maryland was admitted to the Union as a slave state, and though it was a border state that did not secede to join the Confederacy during the Civil War, it did not outlaw slavery until November 1864 — well after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. In 1860, there were more than 87,000 enslaved people in Maryland.

Over the course of February, Black History Month, MPT will show more than 20 documentaries and specials honoring the Black experience in the United States, telling the compelling and heart-wrenching stories to shed light on the history of Maryland and the nation.

A preview of “Ben’s Ten” is available by clicking this link. It will air on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. on MPT-HD and the MPT live stream. After that, it will be available to view live and on demand using the free PBS App and MPT’s online video player.

Marshyhope Creek, a quiet, tidal estuary on the Eastern Shore, is the only place in Maryland where sturgeon, an endangered fish species that has been around since prehistoric times, are known to spawn. And environmentalists fear that plans for a giant, $300 million indoor salmon farm that would discharge millions of gallons of water a day into the creek could mean the end of the sturgeon.

The fear stems from discharges of the cold, potentially salty water – salmon are a cold water species – into the warm, freshwater creek that would upset the delicate balance necessary for the local fish to spawn. And they question whether the state Department of the Environment, which has issued a draft permit for the water discharge, can successfully regulate such an operation.

The size of the building – 25 acres under one roof – is intimidating enough. That’s more than six Super Walmarts in an industrial park on the outskirts of Federalsburg in rural Caroline County. When it’s fully operational, the Norwegian business AquaCon plans to harvest 35 million pounds of salmon a year using recirculated water, and discharge more than two million gallons a day of wastewater into the Marshyhope.

Lee Currey, director of the Maryland Department of the Environment’s water and science division, told residents during a recent public hearing on the project his office had “never dealt with something like this, and at this scale.”

That caught the attention of Al Girard, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Eastern Shore director. Girard called the project “uncharted territory,” not just because of the discharge of water, but also because of the stormwater running off that giant roof.

“There are a lot of questions,” Girard said. “The MDE really needs to deny this permit and take several steps back so it can ensure that water quality is not harmed in Maryland.”

David Secor, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science lab at Solomons, worries that a production facility of that size has never been tested anywhere.

“There’s no track record in terms of the management strategies and contingency plans,” Secor fretted.

The MDE’s Currey said that while the department hasn’t dealt with anything of this size, there’s a lot of information available on recirculating aquaculture systems and that his agency is “familiar with water quality standards.”

Department officials are confident, “that the limits we propose and the special conditions we have in the permit provide all the safeguards necessary,” he said.

Read more (and listen) at WYPR.

Maryland has two new state parks where visitors can hike, fish, and view wildlife. 

Lt. Governor Boyd K. Rutherford joined the Maryland Department of Natural Resources on Friday to open Bohemia River State Park in Cecil County and Cypress Branch State Park in Kent County, in celebration of Earth Day and the end of Maryland State Park Week.

“Bohemia River and Cypress Branch are two great examples of how our state parks provide not only great resources for outdoor recreation, but opportunities to learn about our state’s rich history and develop our local communities,” Rutherford said. 

In the summer of 2017, the state purchased 460 acres outside Chesapeake City in southern Cecil County for the development of Bohemia River State Park. The property includes 225 acres of upland and hydric forest, 60 acres for planned conservation, 29 acres for planned habitat restoration, and 112 acres for agricultural land. 

The park also has 8,600 feet of waterfront along Great Bohemia Creek. In the second phase of park planning, the park will provide access to Great Bohemia Creek and Bohemia River for kayaking and canoeing. 

Cypress Branch State Park, a 314-acre property adjacent to the town of Millington, includes a picnic area and 3-acre fishing pond. Future plans for the park include constructing hiking trails and restoring quail habitat.

A monument honoring Confederate soldiers who fought for the South during the Civil War was removed from the Talbot County courthouse lawn in Easton on Monday.

The “Talbot Boys” monument, a 13-foot bronze statue of a soldier holding a Confederate flag with the names of the Talbot County men who fought for the Confederacy engraved in its base, is believed to be the last Confederate statue on public grounds in Maryland. 

A local group called Move the Monument Coalition posted a video of the statue’s removal on Facebook on Monday morning.

The statue has been the center of a countywide debate for decades. 

Community activists and the NAACP have pushed for the removal of the statue, arguing that it is a symbol of white supremacy and promotes a legacy of racism. In May 2021, the ACLU – joined by the Maryland Office of the Public Defender and the Talbot County branch of the NAACP –  sued Talbot County over the monument.

Other community members, including those who are part of a local coalition called Save the Talbot Boys, have argued to preserve the statue as a symbol of the county’s history. 

Talbot County Council members voted in September to remove the monument, after voting to retain the monument in 2015. 

The monument will be moved to Cross Keys Battlefield in Harrisonburg, Va.

Photographers in Maryland – both amateur and professional – now have the chance to submit their best photograph of the Chesapeake Bay in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s annual Save the Bay photo contest. 

The nonprofit is seeking photos that demonstrate the beauty of the Bay and the rivers and streams throughout its watershed. 

A panel of Chesapeake Bay Foundation employees will judge entries and the public will be able to vote for their favorite photo from April 11-22. 

Winners will receive a cash prize and a one-year membership to CBF. They will also have their photos on display in Save the Bay magazine and on the foundation’s website.

There will be four winners: first place for $500, second place for $250, third place for $150, and Viewers’ Choice for $100.

Submissions will be accepted online between March 7 and April 1.

Researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science have begun a two-year project to track how microplastics move through the Choptank River watershed on the Eastern Shore.

The project, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Foundation’s Marine Debris Program, will examine what kind of plastics exist in the Chesapeake Bay and where they flow and end up during different seasons throughout the year.

Microplastics – plastics that are less than 5 millimeters long – can take decades or more to fully degrade.

A common type of microplastic -microbeads – are tiny pieces of manufactured plastic that are added to health and beauty products like exfoliants and toothpaste.

Plastic is the most common debris found in our oceans and Great Lakes, according to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.

Studies have estimated that 95 percent of the waste that ends up on shorelines, in the sea, and on the seafloor is plastic, according to a news release from the University of Maryland.

The research project will examine plastic samples of all sizes to develop strategies that have the greatest impact on reducing debris in rivers.

“A lot of attention is paid to the giant garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean, but those plastics came from somewhere,” associate professor Jamie Pierson said in the news release.

“We have to understand where they are coming from and what happens to them before they get to the ocean,” he said.

To scope out larger plastic waste in the watershed, the team will use a drone with a special camera that can detect and identify different types of plastics.

The researchers will work with a group of experts and stakeholders to make sure that the project’s outcomes are relevant to policy makers.

Marylanders who are ready to travel again don’t need to go far for their next big trip. 

National Geographic recently named Maryland’s Eastern Shore on their list of “25 Amazing Journeys for 2022,” which includes travel spots all across the world. 

The Eastern Shore is listed among destinations like a lake in Siberian Russia, an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean, and a national park in Mozambique. 

The magazine highlights the area’s history as part of the Underground Railroad.

It is also the place where one of history’s most famous women, Harriet Tubman, was born.

Tubman, born on a plantation in Dorchester County around 1820, became a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, leading enslaved people to freedom before the Civil War. 

National Geographic suggests visiting the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center and taking a kayaking tour of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge with Harriet Tubman Tours.

“We talk to kids about how the confidence and lessons Harriet learned inside the terrible institution of slavery drove her to accomplish incredible things,” Alex Green, co-owner of Harriet Tubman Tours, told the magazine.

“Harriet never gave up and she never stopped learning,” he said, “That’s a lesson they can take home. ”

This weekend the Chesapeake Film Festival will screen films that look at environmental issues on the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. Read below for descriptions and times.

When: Saturday, October 13

Where: Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 213 North Talbot Street, 
St. Michaels, MD 21663 

Environmental Shorts Program: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Seven short films look at environmental issues, in the Chesapeake Bay and beyond.

Tidewater + Current Revolution: 2:45 pm – 4:45 pm The Festival is proud to present a double feature of films by Roger Sorkin and the American Resilience Project, including the East-Coast premiere of a new film about the transformation of America’s electric grid, “Current Revolution.” The other film, Tidewater, looks at the ravages of climate change, sea level rise and erosion on the military installations in the Tidewater area of Virginia.

Restoring The Clearwater + Edna E. Lockwood: Bottoms Up!: 4:45 pm – 7:15 pm Cannon-Brown will present a sneak preview of her short film, Edna E. Lockwood: Bottoms Up!, about the three-year restoration of an 1889 nine-log bugeye at CBMM. Edna will officially relaunch two weeks after the Chesapeake Film Festival, during CBMM’s October 27 Oysterfest.

An Island Out Of Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm This is a film about a remarkable couple, Mary Ada and Dwight Marshall, whose lives on Smith Island personify Chesapeake Bay’s watermen, seafood harvesting culture and history. It’s also about the four children who chose to break with that tradition and why. Written by Tom Horton, the film – like his 1996 book, An Island out of Time – is both celebration and elegy for a place beset with rising sea levels, erosion, pollution, and harvest restrictions.

Click here for the full schedule of films.

[sponsored_by action_blurb=”Sponsored By” name=”The Chesapeake Film Festival” url=”http://chesapeakefilmfestival.com/film-schedule/” logo=”https://baltimorefishbowl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/CFF-logo.jpg” byline=”The Chesapeake Film Festival runs from Thursday, October 11 through Sunday, October 14. On Saturday, October 13 at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM)  participants will screen films; visit the historic bugeye Edna E. Lockwood and talk to the shipwrights who restored her; chat with the filmmakers, and feast on world-famous crab cakes and multi-layer cakes from Smith Island, MD.” attribution_action_blurb=”Created By” attribution_name=”” attribution_url=””][/sponsored_by]

October 11 – 14, 2018
Easton, St. Michaels and Cambridge, MD

Featuring a record number of films from around the world, the 11th annual Chesapeake Film Festival promises an unprecedented celebration of films and filmmakers. Travel around our own Chesapeake Bay, through the gardens of Europe, the deltas of Africa, and the heart of American communities to witness the universal spirit of our planet.

Join fellow film lovers on Maryland’s scenic Eastern Shore this October at the Chesapeake Film Festival (CFF), where great stories begin. Our historic Maryland venues include the Avalon Theatre and the Academy Art Museum in Easton; the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels; the Cambridge Premier Cinemas and the Dorchester Center for the Arts in Cambridge.

From Thursday, October 11 through Sunday, October 14, audiences will delight in the magic of extraordinary films, meet the filmmakers, participate in lively discussions, and enjoy receptions and events created to enhance the Festival experience.

The CFF 2018 has something for everyone: A festive opening night about and with fabulous food unique to the region; investigations into pressing social issues; virtual visits to amazing spaces and places; up-close and personal profiles of icons of cinema; creative short films and animations, and much more. Click here to buy tickets or to see the schedule. 

See a sneak peak of the films presented at this year’s festival below:

1.89 acres situated on Grove Creek, right around the corner from the Chesapeake Bay

Featured Listing:  204 Ashley Dr, Centreville, MD

Over 4,000 square feet of finished living space 

Offered for $1,089,000

www.centrevillewaterfront.com

Welcome to Ashley Drive

Maple wood floors usher you to a cozy den

Relax by the fireplace or enjoy quiet conversation

The Great Room boasts brick floors and offers unobstructed views of the water

The tray ceiling was reconfigured to achieve acoustic perfection

A separate dining area for formal occasions

Just beyond the dining room is a gourmet kitchen, ideal for the culinary artist

Enjoy a novel in the west wing library

Why go to the gym when you can exercise at home?

4’MLW, 425′ water frontage, water & electric at the pier

Sellers are in the process of obtaining a permit to install a pool for the new owner.

Notes from the agent:

Create, compose, unwind…thoughtfully designed to satisfy the passionate soul, this extraordinary Grove Creek waterfront residence is one of dignified comfort.  Eclectic style accentuates the well-appointed detail throughout while expansive views of the Creek enrich the experience.  3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, brick patio, basement, young roof, maple wood floors, floored attic could be finished to expand living space, zoned, french drain system and much more.  20 minutes to the Bay Bridge.  Offered for $1,089,000

Anyone who’s been in Charm City through heavy storms knows the city’s waterways have a propensity to flood. With that in mind, many are warily eyeing Hurricane Matthew’s path this week as the storm makes its way up the East Coast.

However, signs are beginning to point east for the hurricane. According to the Office of Emergency Management in nearby Annapolis, “forecasts currently show Hurricane Matthew shifting east, limiting the impacts to Maryland.”

Marylanders are right to be watchful of Matthew. The AP reports the Category 3 hurricane killed at least 11 of in the Caribbean region and is now settling over the Bahamas before it hits Florida tomorrow.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has told residents to stock up on supplies and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is preparing to evacuate 1 million people from the state’s coast, per the AP. North Carolina has also called a state of emergency for half of the state and are telling Outer Banks dwellers to leave the area, with the storm still projected to hit there this weekend.

Thanks to Matthew, some unlucky Carnival Cruise passengers who left from Baltimore for the Bahamas on Sunday found themselves headed the completely wrong way last night. The Pride cruise ship stopped in New York and is scheduled to head back toward Baltimore tonight, which will take several days. Some passengers told FOX45 they are worried they’ll be heading right into the storm.

However, the latest track from the NOAA shows that even while Matthew may re-strengthen on its way up the coast, it could veer off towards Bermuda after hitting the Carolinas.

“The storm track has shifted several times and it may change again, but this is good news for the Baltimore-Annapolis area,” said Annapolis Office of Emergency Management Deputy Director David Mandell.

If Matthew changes its mind again and comes for the Chesapeake region, Baltimore Gas and Electric is already thinking of its flood- and outage-prone customers.

“We’re continuing to monitor the storm and prepare,” said BGE spokesperson Justin Mulcahy. “We remind customers to keep some basic items on hand, like flashlights, fresh batteries, non-perishable items, and to make contingency plans.”

The utility is not “mobilized” as of Wednesday morning, but will adjust its ranks based on the forecast, Mulcahy said.

If Matthew does avoid Maryland, Baltimoreans won’t have to worry about it affecting the Ravens’ Sunday matchup against the Redskins. Even Carnival cruise passengers returning that day can at least be thankful they won’t be heading into a hurricane.

In 2008, Maryland made Smith Island Cake, a deliciously layered and chocalatey confection, into the official state dessert. That’s when the trouble started.

Well, to be accurate, the trouble started well before 2008, when the rural Eastern Shore community of Smith Island began losing population. Promoting the cake was an attempt to draw attention to the region while also providing an economic boost. The plan worked–kind of. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the Smith Island Baking Company sold nearly 70,000 cakes worth about $2 million last year. But the boom in cake orders hasn’t resulted in a corresponding boom in population; at last count, the island’s population had dwindled to 169 people, most of them over age 60.

As you can imagine, it’s logistically tricky to run a company from a tiny, isolated island. As the WSJ reports, most of the Smith Island Baking Company’s 21 employees spend the majority of their time on the mainland. While some cakes are still baked on the island, they’re all assembled at the bakery’s facility on the mainland.

Despite the many difficulties, the bakery’s owner, Eastern Shore native Brian Murphy is committed to Smith Island: “As long as there’s people who want to work, I’ll keep the bakery open on the island,” he told the WSJ.

Hot House: Talisman Farm, 300 Talisman Circle Road, Grasonville, Queen Anne’s County, MD 21638 

Greek Revival style house, circa 1934, in painted brick with slate roof, in fair condition (uninhabited over 10 years). Eight thousand square square feet over 2 stories, with 8 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, wood burning fireplaces, exposed ceiling beams, built-in bookcases, extensive ornamental woodwork. Entry foyer with fireplace, oval dining room, bar room, large living room/ballroom with water views. Guest house, barn, stables and several outbuildings, swimming pool, tennis court, attached 3-car garage. Total of 820 acres on three parcels with farmland, wetland and forest — 600 acres under a conservation easement: Last listed at $10.9 million, no minimum bid

What: Talisman farm was the dream of Arthur Kudner, an advertising executive, whose claims to fame include “I’d walk a mile for a Camel”, and the term “athlete’s foot.” In the depths of the Depression, Kudner bought this land and built a fine house, to which he invited a glittering array of guests, including the boxer Gene Tierney, Averell Harriman, and Princess Grace of Monaco, a close family friend.  By today’s standards, the house seems less appealing. It has an odd layout and would be expensive to renovate. It could well be a teardown. What is undeniably breathtaking is the setting. Surrounded on three sides by water, with 4 acres of frontage on Prospect Bay, this is a paradise for fishermen, hunters, birders, equestrians — anyone who loves the outdoors. The current owner has recently restored 100 acres of farmland back into wetlands. A 60 acre tidal pond , known as Hoghole Creek, is a unique natural feature. Inaccessible by boat, it attracts osprey, eagles, ducks, Canadian geese, tundra swans, wild turkey and herons. Nutria, the imported rodent which has decimated parts of the Eastern Shore’s natural wetlands, have not been a problem. Watching the moon rise over the water here might be well worth a bid.

The auction for Talisman will be held online through Premiere Auctions, on or around October 1, certainly “before the tall trees lose their green in the white galloping cover of winter’s rampage.”

Where: Grasonville (pop. 4,000), Kent Island, MD is a 10 minute drive from the far side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, about 30 minutes from Annapolis and an hour from downtown Baltimore. Kent Island was inhabited by native tribes for nearly 12,000 years. When William Claiborne, a survivor of the Jamestown colony, arrived in 1631, he named it after his home in Kent, England and built a prosperous settlement along it’s southern shore. Claiborne lost the island in a dispute with the Calvert family in 1638, and it became the first European settlement in Maryland.

Why: Unique and beautiful setting,

 Why Not: Rising tides could sink this ship.

 Would Suit: Farmer, conservationist, lone wolf.

 NB:  The house’s crystal chandeliers come from a Mississippi riverboat.

Penderyn, an opulent Georgian-style estate on the Wye River will be auctioned on July 19 to the highest bidder, with no reserve.

Originally priced at $14.9 million, the 22,500 square foot home, built from handmade bricks, sits on a private 18-acre peninsula surrounded by a mile of waterfront,  and includes a 157-foot Bailey dock with 11 boat slips. The interior has 8 bedrooms and 12 baths, 11 fireplaces with handmade English chimneys, large Palladian windows and a 22-seat formal dining room, a personal sauna and a billiards room. Outside are a pool, a two story pool house and a 2-acre rose garden.

The house is owned by Morgan O’Brien, co-founder of Nextel, and his wife Belle Brooks O’Brien. The O’Briens purchased it in 1999 for $8 million from its original owners Mario and Maureen Boiardi, who built the house during the late 1980s.

Mr. Boiardi died in 2007. According to his obituary in the Baltimore Sun, Mr. Boiardi was the son and sole heir of Ettoire (Hector) Boidari, an Italian immigrant who had been head chef at the Plaza and Ritz-Carlton Hotels, and who later made a fortune selling ready-made Italian foods sold under the name Chef Boy-Ar-Dee. He also appeared in a series of famous ads during the 60s and 70s whose slogan was “Thank Goodness For Chef Boyardee!!” Mr. Boiardi, Jr. was a businessman in his own right, owning a steel mill, a marble company and a research and development firm before retiring to Penderyn.

The auction will be held at 11 a.m. on July 19, onsite at 300 Wye Narrows Drive in Queenstown, MD. For more information contact decaroauctions.com.

The Autumn Wine Festival will return to Salisbury, Maryland’s Pemberton Historical Park October 19  & 20. In partnership with the Maryland Wineries Association, the festival offers the perfect opportunity to explore Maryland wine from one scenic location. Over 20 wineries will be represented, offering unlimited samplings – no tasting tickets needed.

WIN TICKETS!  Comment below on your favorite Maryland Wine, or why you’d like to come.  Winner will be drawn this Friday!

New this year, the Autumn Wine Festival will introduce an educational tent, which will include presentations from Laurie Forster (The Wine Coach), the Taster’s Guild of Maryland and a wine-making demonstration from Xtreme Brewing. The festival also features live music all weekend, including a headlining performance from Dave Matthews Band Collaborator Tim Reynolds and TR3 on Saturday.

Those interested in a more intimate experience can upgrade their tickets to receive the VIP treatment, offering a covered tent close to the main stage, reserved parking, private restrooms, a private guest appearance by Laurie Forster (The Wine Coach), a wine-making forum with MWA, festival t-shirt and goodie bag.

Looking for a ‘wine weekend’ getaway? Hotel packages are available online and start at $139.

For more information or to purchase advanced tickets, visit www.AutumnWineFestival.org.

Tickets:

Available in Advance (Sold until Friday, October 18 at 6pm):

One Day $25 / Two Day $40 / Non-Tasting One Day $5

VIP One Day $55 / VIP Two Day $90
At the Gate: One Day $35 / Non-Tasting $10