CHESTERTOWN — Since Washington College’s founding in 1782, its archives have served as a silent witness to the evolving history of the Eastern Shore and America.
Now, the college is dusting off its most intriguing treasures for a unique and personal exhibition that offers the public a rare glimpse into the hidden narratives of the region.
“Washington College Collects” will open at the Kohl Gallery on Thursday, Feb. 12 with a catered public reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
The exhibit will remain open through March 6.
According to a news release, the exhibition is a deep dive into an unprecedented collection of historic manuscripts, artifacts and artworks.
The show was conceived and curated by a collaborative team of Washington College staff and students — including the director of the Kohl Gallery, Robert Blackson, and Miller Library’s director of archives and technical services, Lindsay Sheldon — and with assistance from student intern Morgan Link.
The items on display represent the fascinating, and often surprising, breadth of the college’s holdings.
Visitors will encounter objects that bridge the gap between national legends and intimate local lives, including:
• Presidential connections: unique medical instruments used by George Washington’s own personal physician.
• Literary quirks: a “cat blanket” belonging to renowned author and Washington College benefactor Sophie Kerr.
• Shore history: personal snapshots of legendary Maryland politician Louis Goldstein [Washington College Class of ’35] and the evocative photography of Constance Larrabee.
• Intimate portraits: a 19th-century portrait of a Hynson child (circa 1842). Researchers believe the portrait, which was donated along with the actual clothing worn by the child in the painting, may have links to the well-known Peale family of painters.
Under Blackson’s leadership, this exhibition highlights the college’s role as a trusted keeper of the Eastern Shore’s personal and public memories, shifting the gallery from a traditional gatekeeper of art to a collaborative space for community storytelling.
“’Washington College Collects’ reflects on the vibrant history of our institution, but more importantly this exhibition points to the shared value of our future together,” Blackson said in the news release. “For generations, Washington’s archive has been a trusted keeper of beloved personal collections largely drawn from the Eastern Shore. Building on the success of this exhibit, our hope is to aggressively continue gathering beloved collections of this region in order to maintain and preserve these gifted collections for the scholarly benefit of future generations.”
Blackson also is serving as an advisor to Philadelphia’s ArtPhilly, the organization behind “What Now: 2026,” an arts festival debuting this coming summer to coincide with the nation’s semiquincentennial.
“As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary this summer and Washington College’s own semiquincentennial in a few short years, it’s not only important for us as a community and society to look to our collective past, but to use those stories to drive our future narratives,” Bryan Matthews ’75, the college’s interim president, said in the news release.
Matthews said “’Washington College Collects’ is a step toward our strategic goal of using the diverse coastal history of this region to inspire public apprenticeships, research and community engagement. We’re thrilled to have this unique perspective into our shared history open to our regional neighbors and friends.”
In the spirit of preservation and Blackson’s philosophy of community impact, Washington College is inviting the public to play an active role in safeguarding their history.
Alongside the exhibition, the Kohl Gallery will host a one-time “Heirloom Surgery” for cherished personal items on Wednesday, Feb. 25 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Community members are encouraged to bring their cherished items — for example, a family photograph that is fading, a delicate piece of vintage clothing, a quilt passed down from a grandparent or a historic document that is beginning to brittle — to the gallery.
At this free event, professional textile and object conservators as well as a book restoration expert will be on hand to provide guidance on how to best protect and preserve your family treasures. This “surgery” aims to ensure that the materials and memories of the Eastern Shore can be passed from one generation to the next with care and compassion.
