The Talbot County Historical Society (TCHS) is a fairly well-known institution. Its gardens have provided a colorful backdrop for weddings and family photos, its walls house memorabilia of Eastern Shore living, it even curates one of the oldest frame buildings in Easton—dating back to roughly 1790.

The Historical Society has a great weight on its shoulders: to preserve the nuance that is Eastern Shore living while also performing community outreach. These sorts of endeavors do not come cheaply and 25 years ago, in order to generate more revenue, TCHS opened Tharpe Antiques.

“We are a consignment shop,” says DeeDee Wood, Manager at Tharpe Antiques. “Our inventory is about half decorative arts and half antiques.”

What’s unique about the store is that it is operated as a non-profit. “What that means is that when people consign an item, and it sells, half goes to the Historical Society and they keep the other half,” Wood explains. “The half that goes to the Historical Society can be deducted on their taxes.” If someone wants to donate an item instead of consigning it, they can take the full tax deduction.

Indeed the store is brimming with eclectic and interesting pieces. “Our biggest seller is crystal,” Wood goes on to say. “We have Waterford at 50% of retail. We also have Victorian furniture, unusual ceramics, and Satfforshire figures.”

They have expanded in the two years that Wood has managed the store. They now have a section of books for sale as well as an entire room dedicated to doll houses.

One thing Wood is particularly proud of are the lectures Tharpe hosts once a month, March through November. “I noticed people seemed to have a lot of questions about antiques,” Wood says. “So I had the idea to have lectures on a variety of subjects, involving antiques.”

Some lectures this year worth noting are: Mary: Queen of Scots: Her Lacework and Embroidery where an actress performed live as the famous queen, discussing her talents and a bit of her intriguing history; Fiestaware: One Woman’s Tale of Her Parent’s Employment in the 1940s Fiestaware Factory, where a very knowledgeable local antiques store owner discussed her memories of her parent’s employment at the factory; and the extremely popular Halloween lecture, Haunted Antiques. This lecture included the stories behind the world’s most haunted antiques like the Hope Diamond and Myrtle’s Plantation Mirror.

These lectures have served to provide significant outreach to the community offering a place for people to learn about antiques and the history. Another educational outreach program offered by the TCHS—and partially funded by proceeds generated by Tharpe Antiques—benefited students at Easton High School who are in AP Human Geography.

“Students were taught how to distinguish between Neo-classical, Neo-Gothic and Modern Architecture and how to connect architecture with art, poetry and history,” Wood explains. “They were exposed to college-level lectures and visited College Park where they saw college classes, toured a college campus, and were briefed by College Admissions personnel.” All those involved agreed this program was a resounding success.

It is a hefty thing, preserving one’s culture. And as our world spins at a faster and faster pace, it’s nice to know that in one corner of our small town, there are people working to record and maintain what’s special about living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Tharpe Antiques is open Tuesday through Saturday 10am-4pm—closed Sunday and Monday.

St. Michaels is a village that prides itself on its history. It is the town that fooled the British, after all and its main street is lined with colonial and Victorian houses converted into retail shops.

So it is fitting that a town so aware and proud of its history is set to open a museum that honors the past, albeit a more recent past, in the form of the Classic Motor Museum.

Located on E. Marengo Street, the site is also home to one of the oldest structures in St. Michaels—The Pinkett House—which serves as the museum’s office and welcome center.

Visitors will soon be able to stroll through the newly Amish-built barn filled with 18 to 21 classic cars that will rotate, so the collection will be updated on a regular basis. “We are looking to have pre-WWII vehicles, some post WWII, with the last third comprising of specialty cars like corvettes, mustangs—cars from the 1960s,” explains Tad duPont, the current Museum Coordinator.

Many of the cars that will be on display at the Classic Motor Museum will be rolling down Talbot Street on November 19 starting at 10:30 AM for the third annual Thanksgiving Day parade. “It will be themed like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” duPont goes on to say. Spectators are invited to visit the museum—the endpoint of the parade—to get a closer look at some of the beautifully restored vehicles.

One notable car participating in the parade is a 1920 Buick. “It was one of the first cars to cross the newly opened Bay Bridge in 1952,” says DuPont. “We are excited about having this particular car because we can tie it into our educational programs.”

These education programs are another aspect of the museum’s mission. “The barn will have a library and an educational classroom,” he goes on to say. “We are looking to hone in on the history as well as the VOTEC concept of maintenance and repair.” Their hope is to pique the interest of the youth who visit, thinking that it might lead some of them to choose the art of classic car restoration as a vocation.

In addition to developing educational programs to benefit the community they are hoping to develop a fundraising arm akin to Christmas in St. Michaels. Once they are up and running they will operate as a non-profit. “After our operating expenses are covered we will donate a portion of our revenue to other non-profits in the area like CASA, the SMASH after school reading program, the food bank, and the community pool.” DuPont says.

For those interested in learning more about the Classic Motor Museum click here to visit their website. Once there you can learn more about membership opportunities as well as upcoming events.