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I always wanted to visit Canterbury Manor. It is built on property originally known as "Tilghman's Fortune." It was a land grant made by Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore, in 1659. The plaque on the front gates reads thus:
1000 Acres Patented 17 January 1659/60 to Richard Tilghman, citizen and chirurgeon of London, later Maryland planter. On this manor was first seated Dr. Richard Tilghman, who was granted by the Lord Baron of Baltimore the prerogatives of a "Court Baron and all things thereunto belonging by ye law or custome of England". He was the great-grandfather of Colonel Tench Tilghman, Aide-de-Camp to General George Washington in 1665 Dr. Tilghman conveyed the manor to Richard Preston, commissioner for the Province of Maryland under Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth of England for whom it was resurveyed and granted by Lord Baltimore with full manorial privileges of a Court Baron. Erected and dedicated April 23, 1950 The Descendants of Lords of the Maryland Manors through the good offices of W. Alton Jones.
The present structure of Canterbury is described by Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage:
Elliot Wheeler, who owned the property from 1915-45, is credited for creating its present appearance. Built in the Colonial Revival Style, the central portion of the house has a pedimented ionic portico with a large lunette in the pediment. There are wings on the east and west, with a double veranda on the west—all designed to take advantage of the cooling breezes in the time before air conditioning. A grand foyer with original glass frames a sweeping view of the water and creates a dramatic entrance. While formal in design, there is an intimate charm throughout the house.
The outside is welcomed in with views of the gardens, lawn, and Trippe’s Creek beyond. Urns planted with colorful flowers add brightness to a background of tall evergreens. Upstairs, the primary bedroom has views of the entire property and another large porch overlooks the formal gardens and pool. On the third floor, a dormitory tucked under the eaves fits a growing brood of grandchildren. Don’t miss the exuberant sculpture of a dog frolicking with five kids. It’s less a piece of art, than a sign. When the owners first toured Canterbury Manor and saw the sculpture, they had just been to an exhibit of the artist’s, which they had enjoyed, and at that time, they had five grandchildren. A sign, indeed. Since that time, their family has grown to include 18 amazing grandchildren, but the house has always made room for them all!
For more information about the Tour, please visit mhgp.org. I will be writing more about old houses of Talbot County in future articles for those of us who missed the Tour.
As I have mentioned before, in the past several years the school board has become more and more an arena of contention as parents and educators disagree about certain policies. Because of the laws of our county, if persons on the school board resign during their term of office, then it is for the Governor of Maryland to appoint replacements. Some citizens believe it is better for the local community to elect replacements but their efforts to achieve this change in the law have been blocked by some members of County Council. However, 2024 is an election year and so candidates are running for the open seats on the school board.
Then this past Sunday May 5 the editor of The Star Democrat launched an attack on the three candidates running to represent various districts on the Talbot County school board. The candidates are accused, among other things, of being backed by a group called Moms for Liberty, which is described in terms that makes one think of female SS officers. As anyone who has read The Easton Gazette in the last six months knows, our staff writer Jan Greenhawk is head of the local chapter of Moms for Liberty. Jan responded to the editorial, HERE. A shorten version of her article has been sent to The Star Democrat. Jan says:
I am the current Chapter Chair for Moms for Liberty Talbot and I’m sad to report that Mr. Johnson made no attempt to contact me to verify the information contained in his article. Moms for Liberty Talbot encourages people to run for school board and other political offices. We feel the more choices people have, the better. Although we didn’t “field” the candidates mentioned we certainly sent out a call for people to run in the districts that are open for election in 2024. It is a sad situation when a candidate for any position runs unopposed. We are a 501c4 organization and follow the rules set forth for an organization with that designation. These rules allow limited, non-partisan support of candidates in school board races.
He goes on to say, “Voters need to know that three candidates for the Talbot County Board of Education are backed by Moms For Liberty, a group that has raised questions across the country and stirred controversy with its views.” Neither Moms for Liberty Talbot nor the national organization Moms for Liberty has made an official endorsement or backed ANY candidates in the Talbot School Board races. That doesn’t mean we won’t support board candidates at a certain point, but we are not at this time. We like to do our research and get to know the candidates first. Mr. Johnson could have made a simple phone call to me to find out our status on endorsements or backing candidates, but he did not. (Read more.)
I recently joined Moms for Liberty because they provide balanced and thorough updates about bills coming before the Maryland House and Senate, bills that concern parents. They provide information on bills from both sides of the aisle. I was actually really glad to find such a supportive and informed network of mothers, many of whom like Jan have also been teachers themselves. As a mother I have had experience with both public and private schools as well as with homeschooling.
Therefore I was even more surprised to see another really hateful attack on Moms for Liberty on Facebook which describes Moms for Liberty as a group of bigots who are against education. I have met the person who posted such a libel and I would never reveal her identity for her own sake because what she says is so ridiculous. I have been accused of many things in my life but no one has ever accused me of being against education. Jan responds in The Easton Gazette, HERE.
I love how the Proud Boys are dragged into it, as if they are the new Gestapo or something. So Moms for Liberty is the female version of the Proud Boys? As silly as it is, there are some who will believe it. Leftists keep accusing Conservatives of trying to ban books and being against the LGBTQ movement. We just want to protect our children from Too Much Information about things they do not need to know in grade school. I can only speak for myself but I was disappointed about the passing of the "Freedom to Read Act" in which Maryland students are being encouraged to read books that are rife with graphic sexual content, ones which most parents deem inappropriate for their children.
Last fall, parents in Carroll County questioned why books with graphic sexual imagery were being made available to children without parental knowledge or consent. One is the autobiography of Jaycee Dugard, who was kidnapped and used as a sex-slave in a cellar for years. I have read Dugard’s A Stolen Life: A Memoir; it as a story of heroism but only for mature readers since it is about a kidnapping and child rape. It does not belong in a school.
If the woman who ranted on Facebook wants her children to read about Jaycee they can do so, but other children cannot handle such graphic and frightening details. As far as the LGBTQ movement, why do small children need to know the details of adult intimacy? Parents have the right, and the duty, to decide when their children are ready for such information. It should not be up to the school to decide. Each child is different. Those are the rights parents are fighting to uphold.
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