What are the opening hours?

Friday 12pm - 4pm Saturday 12pm - 4pm Sunday 12pm - 4pm

Laurel Historical Society

Home
United States
Laurel, MD
Laurel Historical Society

A small community museum and archives dedicated to 'Preserving Laurel's Past for the Future!'

04/23/2026

The Laurel Historical Society will be at the Montpelier Festival of Herbs, Tea, and the Arts this Saturday, April 25th! Stop by between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm to check out the festival, tour the museum, and enjoy live music. Don’t forget to drop by our tent to say hi and learn more about our upcoming programming and events!

The Montpelier Historic Site & Museum was built in the 1780’s as a plantation and ironworks by Major Thomas Snowden and his wife Anne. The mansion is a National Historic Landmark that serves as an example of 18th century Georgian architecture and works to preserve the history of all who lived there, including the 169 documented enslaved individuals - such as Nance and Catte Creek - and four generations of the Snowden family.

Image: Postcard from 1913 of the approach to Montpelier from the Laurel Museum Collection.

04/16/2026

The Laurel Museum is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year! While the Laurel Historical Society was founded in 1975 as the Laurel Horizon Society, it was not until 1996 that LHS opened the doors of the Laurel Museum to the public.

The city purchased what was known as the “oldest house in Laurel” in 1985 but it was years later, on February 25, 1991, that Mayor Joseph Robison and the Laurel City Council adopted a resolution that authorized LHS to use the mill workers' house as the Laurel Museum. In 1993, one of the founders of the museum, Betty Compton, testified before the Maryland Senate Finance Committee to describe the restoration efforts for the Laurel Museum building, leading to the Maryland General Assembly passing a standing bill with a $150k matching bond to assist with financing the new museum. On October 27, 1994, renovation of the old mill building was funded by a $278k contract approved by the Laurel City Council. After extensive renovations, the Laurel Museum was dedicated on September 10, 1995, and its doors opened to the public on May 4th, 1996.

The images are of the Laurel Museum dedication on September 10, 1995 from the Laurel Historical Society collection.

04/14/2026

The Laurel Historical Society's Annual Meeting will take place on Thursday, May 14 at 6:00 PM at the Laurel Community Pool Room (901 Main Street). Please join us for an overview of the last year, a salute to retiring members of the Board, and the election of our new Board members.

6:00 PM - Doors open at the Pool Room
6:15 PM - Annual Meeting will be called to order
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Open house at the Laurel Museum with light refreshments

Everyone is welcome to attend our annual membership meeting; however, only current members may participate in the election of our new Board members. This event is free but we ask that guests please RSVP to info@laurelhistoricalsociety.org by Wednesday, May 13.

04/09/2026

Get ready for Preakness with a program on the significance of Laurel Park, including its most historic spaces and milestone races! We invite you to join us for "The Race Is On: Historic Races and Places at Laurel Park" on Zoom Thursday, April 30 at 6:00PM.

Celebrate 115 years of horse racing history at Laurel Park and Preakness 151 with a presentation by the staff of the Laurel Historical Society! Join us as we discuss the significance of the historic structures and races that have taken place at Laurel Park, delve into our collection of artifacts related to the site, and get a sneak peak of our upcoming exhibition soon to be on display at Laurel City Hall.

Tickets are free but registration is required. Click here to register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/speaker-series-the-race-is-on-historic-races-and-places-at-laurel-park-tickets-1986531810120?aff=FB

A recording of this webinar will be made available to attendees after the event.

If you have any questions, please contact staff at info@laurelhistoricalsociety.org.

Image description: Aerial photo postcard of the 1953 Washington D.C. International Race from the Laurel Historical Society's Compton Collection.

04/07/2026

Have you been thinking about becoming a member of the Laurel Historical Society? Join in April and receive two tickets to a complimentary new member tour!

We would love for you to become a member, so we are running a special promotion for the entire month of April. Join this month and we will send you two free tickets to our New Member Walking Tour on Saturday, May 30 at 10 AM.

This is a fun way to learn more about the Laurel Historical Society, meet your fellow members, and discover the history behind the places you see around town every day. Please note this tour is only open to new members that join during the month of April.

Have any questions about membership benefits or the upcoming tour? Please email Maria Gonzales Jackson, Museum Administrator at info@laurelhistoricalsociety.org.

04/05/2026

Happy Easter! The Laurel Museum is closed today. We hope you enjoy the holiday!

04/02/2026

It is officially April and there is only a little over a week until our first Main Street Walking Tour on Saturday, April 11th! Grab your tickets now to secure your spot: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/main-street-walking-tour

Join us as we explore the rich and diverse history of Laurel’s historic commercial district and uncover the interesting stories that surround some of Laurel’s favorite landmarks. This tour will last between 1 and 1.5 hours and covers approximately 1.25 miles.

This narrated and guided walking tour will trace Laurel’s early years from a Mill to a town and highlight some of Laurel’s most recognizable historic places, including Oliver’s Tavern, the First United Methodist Church, and the site of the Laurel Cotton Mill. This tour will also feature the Laurel Municipal Pool and includes a discussion on the site’s history of segregation and connection to the racial terror in the grove, a historic African American neighborhood, during the summer of 1967.

This project has been financed in part with State Funds from the Maryland Historical Trust, an agency of the Maryland Department of Planning which is an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, project contents or opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland Historical Trust or the Maryland Department of Planning.

03/31/2026

As part of our exhibition “Beyond the 4th: Stories of Laurel’s Freedom Celebrations”, we examine the roles women filled in helping celebrate freedom in the United States, even before they had freedoms of their own. Today, we are highlighting the only woman whose name is on the Declaration of Independence, Mary Katharine Goddard (June 16, 1738 – Aug. 12, 1816).

In 1777, the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Baltimore, called for a new printing of the Declaration of Independence. The job came to a Baltimore print shop operated by newspaper publisher Mary Katharine Goddard. This version of the Declaration of Independence would include the names of the document’s signers, unlike earlier versions, and was intended for wide public distribution.

Signing the Declaration of Independence was considered an act of treason by the British, and the punishment was death.

Goddard usually signed her printed documents and newspapers as “M.K. Goddard.” But in a show of solidarity with the signers, she added her own full name at the bottom of the document. This version of the Declaration of Independence is known as the Goddard Broadside.

Goddard, who helped run her family’s publishing business, was also Baltimore’s postmaster from 1775 to 1789. She likely was the nation’s only female employee when the country was born on July 4, 1776.

Image Credit: Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Continental Congress & Constitutional Convention Broadsides Collection

03/30/2026

The Laurel Museum will be closed this Sunday, April 5th for Easter.

03/26/2026

We are coming up on our first walking tour of the year, the Main Street Walking Tour on April 11th! Grab your tickets now to secure your spot here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/main-street-walking-tour

Join us as we explore the rich and diverse history of Laurel’s historic commercial district and uncover the interesting stories that surround some of Laurel’s favorite landmarks. This tour will last between 1 and 1.5 hours and covers approximately 1.25 miles.

This narrated and guided walking tour will trace Laurel’s early years from a Mill to a town and highlight some of Laurel’s most recognizable historic places, including Oliver’s Tavern, the First United Methodist Church, and the site of the Laurel Cotton Mill. This tour will also feature the Laurel Municipal Pool and includes a discussion on the site’s history of segregation and connection to the racial terror in the grove, a historic African American neighborhood, during the summer of 1967.

This project has been financed in part with State Funds from the Maryland Historical Trust, an agency of the Maryland Department of Planning which is an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, project contents or opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland Historical Trust or the Maryland Department of Planning.

03/25/2026

Today is Maryland Day! Maryland Day is celebrated annually on March 25th to commemorate the day in 1634 that settlers who had recently arrived on two small sailing ships, the Ark and the Dove, celebrated the official founding of the colony with a day of thanksgiving. The settlement of Maryland was chartered on June 20th, 1632, by Charles I to Cecilius Calvert, the Lord of Baltimore. Cecilius Calvert’s brother, Leonard Calvert, and the settlers began the journey on November 22nd, 1633, but due to difficulties crossing the Atlantic and a three-week stay in the Caribbean to replenish supplies, they did not arrive in Maryland until March of 1634. Maryland Day was not formally observed until 1903, when the State Board of Education selected the day to devote to the teaching of Maryland history, and was officially authorized by the General Assembly as a state holiday in 1916.

03/24/2026

For Women’s History Month, the Laurel Historical Society is highlighting some of the important women in our organization’s history!

Another founding member of the Laurel Historical Society was Jean Wilson, who served as a volunteer, member of the Board of Directors, and Director Emerita. Jean was born in Takoma Park, MD and served as a secretary in her early adult life, including a month-long stint for former President Harry S. Truman during his transition out of the White House. She married Leo Wilson in 1953 and served as the First Lady of Laurel while her husband was Mayor from 1972-1978. After raising her family, she returned to the workforce, ultimately becoming the first female plant manager of Concrete Pipes & Products based in nearby Jessup. Jean was active in both the celebration of Laurel’s Centennial and 125th anniversary celebrations and she was recognized for her dedication to the community in 1994, when she was named a “Woman of Achievement in Prince George County’s History”. Jean’s commitment to the LHS continues beyond her, as her son-in-law, Steve Hubbard, previously served on the LHS Board of Directors, and her daughter, Maggie Hubbard, continues to serve today!

Image is of Jean Wilson cleaning the museum’s attic at its opening.

Address

817 Main Street
Laurel, MD
20707

Opening Hours

Friday	12pm - 4pm
Saturday	12pm - 4pm
Sunday	12pm - 4pm

Telephone

(301) 725-7975

Website

http://www.laurelhistoricalsociety.org/, https://linktr.ee/laurelhistoricalsociety

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Laurel Historical Society posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Address
Telephone
Opening Hours
Alerts
Contact The Practice
Claim ownership or report listing

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Laurel?