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Upcoming Events
The staff of the Maryland State Archives presents educational programs to the community to share information about our collections. We invite you to participate in our upcoming events or to view recordings of our past programs. If you have a suggestion for a program topic or search tip you would like to see here in the future, please email your recommendation to msa.helpdesk@maryland.gov. Thank you for your support.
Past Events
View recordings of past lectures, seminars, tours and workshops, as well as helpful training videos on how to use various records in our collections in our free online Presentation Library.
Upcoming Events
November Lunch and Learn
Father Eugene Patrick O'Grady:
A Baltimore Clergyman in World War II
Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 1:00 pm
Presented by Joseph Balkoski
Online Event
Military historian Joseph Balkoski tells the story of Eugene Patrick O'Grady, who accompanied Maryland's soldiers as a chaplain throughout World War II. O'Grady was born in 1909 in West Baltimore, one of six children of Irish immigrants, and ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1935. When Maryland's National Guard, as part of the 29th Division was mobilized in February 1941, the division had no chaplains, so O'Grady volunteered for this duty. He remained with the division throughout its stateside training, its overseas movement to Britain, and landed with Maryland's 115th Infantry Regiment on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He was a constant presence in the frontlines, and as one 29er noted, "he always beamed hope into our tormented souls." This is the story of Eugene Patrick O'Grady and his remarkable dedication to the welfare of all 29th Division soldiers.
Joseph Balkoski served for many years as Command Historian of the Maryland National Guard and the US Army's 29th Infantry Division. He is the author of eight widely acclaimed books on World War II history, including a two-volume series on American involvement in the D-Day invasion (Omaha Beach and Utah Beach) and a five-volume series, From Normandy to Victory, on the history of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II.
Balkoski was the founder and curator of the Maryland Museum of Military History at Maryland National Guard headquarters in Baltimore, which includes the 29th Infantry Division Archives, one of the finest collections of archival papers in the United States related to the service of a US Army division in wartime. He served on the Governor of Maryland's Commission on Military Monuments, and was recently awarded the Maryland Distinguished Service Cross and Maryland National Guard Meritorious Service Medal for his lifetime of service to veterans, the state of Maryland, and the Army National Guard. In 2023, he was awarded the Order of St. Maurice, which is issued by the US Army Chief of Infantry for a lifetime of service to US Army infantrymen.
December Lunch and Learn
The Land Remembers: Piscataway Stories
of Continuity
Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 1:00 pm
Presented by Anjela Barnes
Online Event
Join Anjela Barnes (Piscataway), Executive Director of the Accokeek Foundation, as she shares the story of Piscataway Park as a living cultural landscape and a place of ancestral connection. This presentation traces the park's preservation journey from early land trust efforts in the 1950s to its designation as the first national park established to "preserve historic vistas." Barnes will speak on behalf of the Accokeek Foundation, highlighting the deep history of the Piscataway people, their ancestral capital of Moyaon, and the ongoing journey of cultural resilience and restoration. Through stories of land, foodways, and identity, she will share how the Accokeek Foundation is working in partnership with Indigenous communities to honor heritage, steward the land, and envision a future of healing, kinship, and resilience. Learn more about the Accokeek Foundation's work and plan your visit at www.accokeek.org.
Anjela Barnes is Executive Director of the Accokeek Foundation, located at Piscataway Park, where she proudly stewards and preserves the traditional homelands of the Piscataway people. Barnes's journey with the Foundation began in 2009, where she initially contributed her expertise to managing marketing and development campaigns. Over the years, she ascended to the role of Vice President of Operations in 2018, demonstrating her commitment and leadership within the organization. She holds a Bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Maryland (2004). Driven by a profound passion for community engagement and environmental advocacy, Anjela's professional interests lie at the intersection of food systems, health, disease, and environmental change. She advocates for a community-centered approach to address these complex issues, emphasizing collaboration and inclusivity in her endeavors.
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