Born enslaved, Nathaniel “Uncle Nace” Hopkins carried the scars of bondage but refused to let them define him. During the Civil War Nace enlisted with the United States Colored Troops, fighting for a freedom he had yet to taste fully for himself. Sent home sick and weary, he returned to Trappe determined to build a new life as a free man not just for himself, but for his entire community. Uncle Nace set to work building a Church, free black schools, roads and communities here in Talbot County and is responsible for the creation of Maryland’s first Emancipation Day Celebration in 1867 – one of our nation’s very first and the oldest that has been continuously celebrated.

As the first parades marched through dusty streets of Trappe, Uncle Nace became more than a soldier—he became a leader, teacher, and living reminder that freedom must be celebrated, protected, and passed on.

Through Hopkins’s eyes, the Talbot Historical Society and the descendants of Nathaniel Hopkins, in conjunction with professional actor Darius Wallace, will bring Nathaniel Hopkins to life to portray his journeys from the fields of slavery to the drums of war, to his triumphant creation of Maryland’s first Emancipation Day Celebration in 1867 - which continues to this day.

Sponsored by the Talbot Historical Society, Oxford Community Center, VFW Easton Post 5118, and American Legion Posts 77 and 91.