Angela Shamp Reporting on "Overview of the War of 1812: Conflict that Forged a Nation"
Spending the weekend of May 21-22 at the Calvert Marine Museum was a wonderful experience. Sherrod Sturrock had two wonderful speakers for us, Dr. Ralph Eshelman and Don Shomette, who were both bery knowledgeable about the War of 1812, expecially as it relates to Southern Maryland history.We also tou
red the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum and the state MAC Lab. This was such an awesome experience. Not only were we able to see how they restore and prepare artifacts, but we actually got to see and touch these artifacts. The staff person also showed us how they store all the artifacts by county. After leaving the MAC Lab we toured the new War of 1812 exhibit, which had some really neat displays. We then left to hear about how a single battle played out right there on the Patuxent River.Later that night, we went out for a cruise on the Wm. B. Tennison and listened as Ralph and Don pointed out where different battles played out on the river. It was very interesting to actually see where these battles took place instead of just hearing about it and looking at a map. With the stories that Ralph and Don were telling, you could almost see the battles in your mind. 
The next day we were given ample time to converse with our experts and our colleagues to bounde ideas off each other to plan out a lesson for our students. This was a great trip and I learned so much in the two days at the Calvert Marine Museum. I would recommend this to anyone looking for more knowledge about the War of 1812 and especially Maryland's role in the war.
