Honoring Our Past. Celebrating Our Future.
In 2026, America marks 250 years of independence — and here on Maryland’s Lower Shore, we’re celebrating our unique role in that incredible journey.
From working waterfronts, fertile farmlands, and to the cultural crossroads of Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester County, our communities have shaped — and been shaped by — the American story. Whether through military service, civic leadership, innovation, or everyday resilience, the people of the Lower Shore have played a vital role in our nation’s development.
As part of the national America250 commemoration, Maryland Lower Shore 250 invites you to explore our shared heritage and engage in meaningful ways. Through local events, educational programs, exhibits, and storytelling, we will honor the generations who came before us and inspire future leaders and changemakers.
From working waterfronts, fertile farmlands, and to the cultural crossroads of Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester County, our communities have shaped — and been shaped by — the American story. Whether through military service, civic leadership, innovation, or everyday resilience, the people of the Lower Shore have played a vital role in our nation’s development.
As part of the national America250 commemoration, Maryland Lower Shore 250 invites you to explore our shared heritage and engage in meaningful ways. Through local events, educational programs, exhibits, and storytelling, we will honor the generations who came before us and inspire future leaders and changemakers.
Events:
Visit our event calendar for more information on upcoming Maryland 250 events: https://dir.beachesbayswaterways.org/events/
Are you hosting you own Maryland 250 event? Let us know and we'll add it to the list!
Are you hosting you own Maryland 250 event? Let us know and we'll add it to the list!
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SPARK! Exhibit at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore | January 17, 2026 - March 1, 2026
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Sturgis One Room School Museum Black History Month Museum Tour | February 6, 2026. 5:00pm - 8:00pm
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Sturgis One Room School Museum Valentines Day Celebration | February 7, 2026. 11:00am - 3:00pm
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The History of Libertytown | February 12, 2026. 6:30pm - 8:00pm
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Sturgis One Room School Museum Black History Month Museum Tour | February 13, 2026. 5:00pm - 8:00pm
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Genealogy Workshop | February 18, 2026 at 11:00am
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Genealogy Workshop | February 19, 2026 at 11:00am
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Black History Open Mic Night | February 20, 2026. 6:00pm
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"The Henry Hotel" Film Screening and Director Q&A | February 25, 2026. 6:00pm - 7:00pm
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Maryland 250 Commission Office Hours | February 26, 2026. 12:00pm
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Sturgis One Room School Museum Black History Month Museum Tour | February 27, 2026. 5:00pm - 8:00pm
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Black History: Then & Now - Somerset County NAACP| February 28, 2026.
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Winter Blues Featuring Margot & Co. & the Legendary Daryl Davis | February 28, 2026. 7pm - 10pm
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Lower Shore 250 Planning Meeting | March 5, 2026. 10:30am
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Maryland Day| March 25, 2026.
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Exhibit Grand Opening at Poplar Hill Mansion| April 1, 2026. 5:00pm
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Taylor House Museum Opening Day | April 1, 2026.
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Community Day at Teackle Mansion | April 12, 2026. 2:00pm - 4:00pm
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Poplar Hill Mansion Festival| May 3, 2026. 12:00pm - 4:00pm
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Pemberton Hall Opening Day | May 3, 2026. 1:00pm - 4:00pm
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Poplar Hill Mansion Red, White, & Blue Tea| May 21, 2026. 12:00pm
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Crossroads Fiber Festival - Museum of Eastern Shore Culture at Salisbury University | May 23 & 24, 2026
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Poplar Hill Mansion Fun Old Fashioned Fourth of July| July 4, 2026. 12:00pm - 5:00pm
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America's Potluck | July 5, 2026
America's Potluck is an opportunity for neighbors to join with one another to share a fun, communal meal, creating a sense of connection and belonging and fostering interactions among people from all walks of life.
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Peach Festival | August 1, 2026. 10:00am - 3:00pm
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Recurring Events:
The Lower Shore 250 celebration will feature recurring events too. These events will happen at regular intervals.
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There are an abundance of local and state wide initiatives to celebrate America's 250th birthday. Below are some updates on these programs and initiatives. Details on more national and state wide initiatives can be found on the Maryland 250 Commission's website.
We're Planting Liberty Trees
To help kick-off the MD250th celebration, a tree will be planted in every county in 2026, with a major kick off on Maryland Day. The lead partnerships are the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Preservation Maryland, Maryland Center for History and Culture, and the Maryland Heritage Areas Coalition. BBHA will work with local partners and select a site for the Liberty Tree in each county.
The first “Liberty Tree” was an elm that stood in Boston, Massachusetts, and under which protests were held in 1765 to resist the unfair British tax policies. A Liberty Tree became a symbol in the late 18th century as a place to meet and condemn the oppression and launch a resistance that would end in our independence. In 1889, a scion (In horticultural use a scion is defined as “a detached living portion of a plant, such as a bud or shoot, joined to a stock in grafting”) was planted nearby to guarantee the original tree would always live on. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd felled the original, appx. 400-year-old tulip poplar – but the genetically identical scion survived. Today, that scion casts off seedlings which are grown to saplings – keeping the spirit of this original liberty tree alive. If you would like to recommend a location in Wicomico, Worcester or Somerset, send an email to [email protected] |
Smith Island "Play Ball"
Smith Island baseball team photograph, History of Baseball on Delmarva, 2019.108, Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History & Culture, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland.
You all know the saying- baseball is as American as apple pie ( or Smith Island Cake ! ) What better way to celebrate Maryland 250 than to create an exhibit at the Cultural Center dedicated to the history of baseball on Smith Island and the Eastern Shore! This is just one of the projects being undertaken by Smith Island United and the Smith Island Cultural Center.
The first part of the project will focus on capturing memories and stories of games played, home runs hit and bases stolen – preserving those tales for future players and spectators to enjoy! The goal is also to collect memorabilia for display in the museum that will help tell the story of how important baseball was to the waterman that played and their families that cheered them on. Smith Island has started a fundraising campaign to make these plans a reality. Consider giving them a hand by donating on the Shore Gives 365 platform! |
Voices of the Eastern Shore
Voices of the Eastern Shore is a project by the Somerset County Historical Trust with the goal of publishing and providing access to the letters of Elizabeth Upshur Teackle. Her letters give insight into the Teackle family as well as life on the Eastern Shore during America's early history. The contents touch on topics such as slavery, women's history, economics, the War of 1812, daily life, and more.
The letters as well as other documents from the Teackle Family and other archival materials are being transcribed. Transcriptions are available online along with scans of the original document, making the project an essential tool for researching early Eastern Shore history through primary sources. |
Revolutionary Baseball
Get to know the MD Two Fifty team at minor league and independent baseball games across the state. MD Two Fifty’s promotional video will play at all games through July 5, 2026. At select games, stop by the MD Two Fifty table to answer trivia questions, win giveaways, and learn about historic sites in your community.
2026 Schedule
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Miles for Maryland
To commemorate the MARYLAND 250, Maryland State Parks is challenging you to hike 250 miles in State Parks this year! Complete the “Miles for Maryland” Trail Challenge as either an individual or as a team. The program kicked off on January 1st with First Day Hikes across Maryland State Parks. Register online, explore Maryland’s State Parks’ trails, track your miles, and earn great prizes!
Registration starts at $25. This fee is a donation to the Maryland Park Service, entry fees will still apply. Everyone who registers for the “Miles for Maryland” Trail Challenge will receive a commemorative keepsake item for participating. Additional prize drawings will be available for those who complete 250 miles.(Unfortunately, Maryland DNR employees cannot participate in the prize drawing portion of this challenge.)
Registration starts at $25. This fee is a donation to the Maryland Park Service, entry fees will still apply. Everyone who registers for the “Miles for Maryland” Trail Challenge will receive a commemorative keepsake item for participating. Additional prize drawings will be available for those who complete 250 miles.(Unfortunately, Maryland DNR employees cannot participate in the prize drawing portion of this challenge.)
America's Field Trip
Photo Credit: America 250
Applications for the 2025 – 2026 year of America’s Field Trip are open. America’s Field Trip is a nationwide contest that encourages students grade 3-12 to be part of the 250th celebration by sharing what America means to them by answering the question “What does America mean to you?” Submissions include written essays and artwork. Through this contest, they have a chance to win a field trip to historic and cultural landmarks. The deadline for submissions is March 30, 2026. Submit your entry or Learn more.
Museum Passport Program
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Our local museums help interpret the long and complex history of the Lower Eastern Shore. Many of them are located within restored historic buildings adding to their unique character. Experience our unique cultural heritage by visiting a museum!
The Beach to Bay Heritage Area's Museum Passport Program encourages visitation to our museums in a fun way while also helping museums cross-promote each other. Visit six museums and get your passport stamped to win a free Beach to Bay Heritage Area hat! |
Indigenous History is American & Maryland History:
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Indigenous People also had a hand in shaping our history and heritage. People were present on the Eastern Shore long before the arrival of Europeans, and their presence is often overlooked. While people tend to think of our history starting with the Captain John Smith's exploration and mapping of the Delmarva Peninsula in 1608, it starts many years before. Humans were here as far back as 85000 C.E. and their descendants continue to live here. They have continued preserving their ancestral way of life while sharing it to raise awareness of their history.
Indigenous influences on our cultural heritage can be seen throughout the Lower Eastern Shore, from placenames to foodways. Descendants continue to live here, Indigenous Peoples have had a role in America's history as a nation, and it deserves to be recognized in this effort to commemorate America's and Maryland's 250th birthday. |
Helpful Resources:
Native American Heritage on the Eastern Shore
Pocomoke Indian Nation - Preserving the heritage and way of life of the Pocomoke Nation
Assateague People of Delmarva - Passing on and keeping the Assateague People's history alive
Nanticoke Indian Tribe - Raising awareness of American Indian cultures in rural areas
History, Heritage & Homelands on Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore - A Guide to Native American Heritage on the Lower Shore
Liberty of Conscience: The Founding of Maryland - Acknowledges the Indigenous Role in Maryland's Founding and History
Maryland State Archives Indigenous Oral Histories Project Mayis - A series of oral history interviews
Native American Heritage on the Eastern Shore
Pocomoke Indian Nation - Preserving the heritage and way of life of the Pocomoke Nation
Assateague People of Delmarva - Passing on and keeping the Assateague People's history alive
Nanticoke Indian Tribe - Raising awareness of American Indian cultures in rural areas
History, Heritage & Homelands on Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore - A Guide to Native American Heritage on the Lower Shore
Liberty of Conscience: The Founding of Maryland - Acknowledges the Indigenous Role in Maryland's Founding and History
Maryland State Archives Indigenous Oral Histories Project Mayis - A series of oral history interviews
Black History is American & Maryland History:
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People of African descendant arrived to Maryland and the Eastern Shore not long after Europeans did. Black history on the shore spans over three centuries and they had a founding role in this nation.
Antonio, also called Anthony Johnson, was a planter of African descent in Somerset County. Johnson was originally enslaved when he came to the colonies and was sold in Jamestown in 1621. He eventually came to be free and moved to Somerset County in the 1660s. In 1838, a church was built on the site of an open meadow where the enslaved gathered to worship. Founded by a group of freedmen, this church became known as the "Hill Church," but was officially incorporated as the "John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church" in 1876. It survives, along with the modifications made over time, as the oldest standing African American church on Delmarva. However, it is now the Chipman Cultural Center, a place that preserves and interprets Black history. In the 20th century, there was the Germantown School in Berlin. First built in the 1920s as one of over 5,0000 Rosenwald Schools in the South, this school provided improved facilities, built by the community, where African American children could receive an education. The school continues standing as a gathering place for all. |
A More Perfect Union: Stories Commemorating 250 Years of Maryland History
The 11 articles in this booklet published by Maryland Humanities are intended to inspire a middle and high school audience to discover local histories, and are linked to the National History Day theme of Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History. The booklet was made possible by the funding of the Maryland 250 Commission's Inclusive History Grant.
The Pocomoke Indian Nation is featured in two articles, "Pocomoke Indian Nation: Stewarding Traditions and Reforming the Narrative" and "Pocomoke Indian Lifeways: Reactions and Resilience," in which their history and efforts to preserve their cultural heritage are explored.
Read the full booklet below and start thinking about Maryland's history in the context of America's 250th birthday.
The Pocomoke Indian Nation is featured in two articles, "Pocomoke Indian Nation: Stewarding Traditions and Reforming the Narrative" and "Pocomoke Indian Lifeways: Reactions and Resilience," in which their history and efforts to preserve their cultural heritage are explored.
Read the full booklet below and start thinking about Maryland's history in the context of America's 250th birthday.
Social Media:
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