Maryland State Archives

09/08/2026

Join us for a virtual Lunch and Learn event on Thursday, September 10 at 1 pm! In this lecture, Mike Casiano will draw from his recent book, “Let Us Alone”, to explore the racial origins of policing in Baltimore. The lecture will detail two interconnected themes. First, it will examine how policing evolved from an inefficient and vigilante-driven system into a modern and paramilitary endeavor focused on suppressing citizens and maximizing the power, wealth, and reach of capitalists. Second, it will analyze how decades of racial antagonism shaped Baltimore policing into an apparatus primarily oriented around subduing Black freedom. Specifically, the talk will focus on the racialized nature of public order policing, the militarization of the Baltimore police, and violations of due process in the court system.
Mike Casiano is an associate professor in UMBC's Department of American Studies and a core faculty member in UMBC's Public Humanities minor. His book, Let Us Alone: The Origins of Baltimore's Police State, examines the relationship between policing, municipal governance, and race in post-Civil War Baltimore.
Registration is encouraged but not required: https://calendar.prattlibrary.org/event/lunch-learn-Let-Us-Alone

09/02/2026

Join Preservation Maryland at Mclintock Distilling in Frederick, MD for a Spirited History evening that brings together two enduring Maryland traditions: history and spirits.

Celebrate the launch of Finding the Maryland 400: The Maryland Line in the Revolutionary War with a presentation by the author, Owen Lourie, exploring the Maryland soldiers who fought in the American Revolution, the battles that shaped their story, and the legacy of the Maryland 400. Books will be available for purchase. With each ticket purchase, guests will receive a complimentary drink ticket and enjoy lite fare.

Purchase Tickets ⬇
https://secure.everyaction.com/7t-U2DHA80uLY4LX8p-RgQ2

09/02/2026

In August 1776, a group of soldiers—known as the Maryland 400—helped hold back the British Army at the Battle of Brooklyn, allowing the rest of the Americans to escape the field. The Marylanders lost a quarter of their men that day, but their stand saved the Continental Army, allowing it to live and fight another day.

On Thursday, September 3, join Owen Lourie, research archivist at the Maryland State Archives and author of the upcoming book "Finding the Maryland 400," as he shares the story of these soldiers at the Maryland Center for History and Culture.

Register for this free program today at www.mdhistory.org/calendar/voices-of-the-maryland-400-marylands-revolutionary-war-soldiers-at-the-battle-of-brooklyn-in-1776.

08/27/2026

250 years ago today, the Maryland 400 fought at the Battle of Brooklyn, the first major battle of the Revolutionary War. They lost 256 men killed or captured but their courageous last stand bought time for many other American troops to escape the battlefield. Just in time for the anniversary, last weekend was the official launch of Finding the Maryland 400, the book documenting these soldiers by State Archives historian Owen Lourie, at the commemorations of the battle in Brooklyn, near the site of the battle! You can buy a copy of the book here: https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/main/html/maryland400.html

The new book was officially launched this weekend at the Old Stone House, during the official commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the battle. Thousands of people attended the events, which included a reenactment in Prospect Park, and a ceremony at the Old Stone House where an honor roll of names of those Marylanders wounded or killed at the battle were read.

08/27/2026

https://msamaryland400.com/2026/08/27/250-years-ago-in-brooklyn-new-york/

250 years ago in Brooklyn, New York the Maryland 400 made a desperate last stand that held back the British and helped save the American army.
Click on the link to learn more about the Battle of Brooklyn and the Maryland 400.

The Battle of Long Island [Brooklyn] by Alonzo Chapel, 1858. Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library. …the Maryland 400 made a desperate last stand that held back the British and…

08/21/2026

Our Conservation team, Camille DiMarco & Edward Heimiller, visited Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library on August 11th to attend the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC) Class of 2026 Final Oral Presentations. Held in Winterthur’s Copeland Lecture Hall, the day was full of fascinating insights into Conservation treatments completed by this group of talented up-and-coming conservation professionals. They also talked with Debra Hess Norris, Chair of the Art Conservation Department at the University of Delaware & Professor of Photograph Conservation and had the opportunity to meet Crystal Maitland, Senior Conservator of Paper at Winterthur Museum & Affiliated Assistant Professor. Professional conservators make up a unique community that contributes to the preservation and understanding of our shared material culture for future generations. We appreciated this opportunity to learn, meet, and congratulate a group of new conservation professionals!

08/19/2026

kinda chic to be the Maryland State Archives ❤️🤍🖤💛

08/18/2026

Earlier in the month, two of our Reference Archivists, Morgan Miller Scarborough and Rachel Frazier, attended the 2026 Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, supported by our 501(c)3 organization the Friends of the Maryland State Archives! During the conference, Morgan and Rachel presented their poster on the topic, “Reference Isn’t Dead.”

Morgan discussed her ideas behind the creation of the first-of-its-kind MARAC Workshop of the same title, as well as ideas for future reference services advocacy in academic and professional spaces. She will next present an updated poster to share her findings from SAA next month at the NCPH/AASLH joint conference in Providence, Rhode Island.

Whether you are a solo archivist, an archivist in a big agency, an archivist wearing a lot of hats, or frankly, anyone with any type of reference duties, the hope is that by bringing this topic to multiple organizational gatherings, Reference Isn't Dead can turn into a broader movement and encourage advocacy across our field. After all, if we don’t have patrons visiting to view and utilize the records we protect, are we archivists or just keepers of stuff?

For more information on the MARAC Workshop co-taught by Morgan Miller Scarborough, Rachel Frazier, and Darby Nisbett Schini, check out our post about it from May. If you have any questions or would like to hear more, please contact the Maryland State Archives.

08/15/2026

On July 23, Assistant State Archivists Emily Oland Squires and Corey Lewis co-presented on behalf of the Maryland State Archives (MSA) and State Archivist Elaine Rice Bachmann as part of the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) “COSA State Archives Spotlight” series.
Oland Squires and Lewis shared an overview of MSA operations, collections, major initiatives, and biggest challenges of the present day. The Idaho State Archives also participated in this Spotlight, highlighting the important work being conducted by state archives across the country.
We appreciate COSA’s invitation and the opportunity to share the impactful work of the Maryland State Archives with our colleagues nationwide.

08/13/2026

This month Conservation staff rehoused a unique piece of Maryland sports history! While textiles are rarely accepted by the Archives, this donation of a complete Colts' Band uniform from Mr. & Mrs. Richard Radhe complements an extensive photograph collection of the “Colts Band era” in the John Ziemann Baltimore's Marching Ravens Band Collection (MSA SC 6416). Though the Colts left Maryland in 1984, their band remained and rallied support that led to the establishment of the Baltimore Ravens, and subsequently the band's transformation into Baltimore's Marching Ravens. Today, the team remains one of only two franchises in the National Football League that retain officially recognized full marching bands. Preserving this piece of Maryland's history was a memorable learning experience for current high school student Elyse Goode, who shadowed Conservation staff to learn about conservation as a potential career path.