Reconstructing the Lives of Free Women on the Frontier

2025 kicks off our Seventh Annual Patapsco Days Celebration! Patapsco Days is a month-long thematic event where we host programs about the history, environment, and sociopolitical aspects of the Patapsco Valley Heritage Area (PVHA). This year, our theme is “Advocacy & Action”: Exploring how people, places, and industries are all vital to pursuing justice and equality in the past and present.

Join us and hear from Nicholas Anderson (Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum) as he discusses the lives and role of free women on the American frontier.

For this talk, Anderson will explore how ideas of what the frontier looked like often evoke the image of “civilization” conquering undeveloped lands. What is often obscured or undiscussed is what life looked life for women on the frontier. This talk will cover the lives of Mary Bannaky, her daughters, and the lives of women in 18th century Maryland.

This talk takes place in the museum at the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum. All guests are welcome to explore the exhibit spaces in the museum before and after our speakers talk.

Click HERE to regilster for this event. Please note that registration is NOT available through Eventbrite. Seating is limited, so registration is recommended.

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Nicholas Anderson is the Naturalist I at the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Morgan State University and a Master’s in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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You can find our full calendar of events HERE.

Host or Publisher Patapsco Heritage Greenway