AUTHORS ON DELMARVA BOOK TALK SERIES RETURNS

AUTHORS ON DELMARVA BOOK TALK SERIES RETURNS

Westside Historical Society is proud to announce the return of the popular series of talks by local authors on books they have written about Delmarva! The first of the 2017 Series will be held on April 21, starting at 5pm with a chance to meet and greet the author, at Laytons Chance Winery near Vienna.

This initial gathering promises to be a special one, with the featured author being Dr. Clara Small, retired History Prof from Salisbury University and now Chair of Social Sciences at UMES. Dr. Small is well known locally and regionally for her groundbreaking research on the role played by local African-American men as combatants in the Civil War. Her first book, Men of Color: To Arms! Manumitted Slaves and Free Blacks from the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland Who Served in the Civil War, primarily with Worcester and Somerset County enlisted men. Continuing the line of research, her newest work, “hot off the presses” investigates those men from Dorchester County and is entitled They Wore Blue and Their Hearts Were Loyal, the United States Colored Troops of Dorchester County, Maryland: Slaves and Free Blacks who Served in the Civil War. This will be Dr Small’s first public discussion of it. In addition, a third work not yet released is entitled Compass Points: Profiles and Biographies of African Americans from the Delmarva Peninsula, Vol. I and she promises to reveal some of the finds from that one as well.

This first talk in Westside’s book talk series will start with a chance to meet and greet Dr. Small from 5 pm to about 5:45, followed by her talk and then questions and answers. She promises to bring copies of her books (the ones now available) for sale! Refreshments will be available. Registration is not required, but for more information you can phone Westside Historical Society at 410-726-8047, or email westsidehistorical@gmail.com or phone Layton’s Chance Vineyards and Winery at (410) 228-1205, and for directions to the Winery go to their web site at www.laytonschance.com .