November Open House

On November 1, the Odenton Heritage Society will unveil a new display, “Electronic Messaging Since 1844: Email and Text Are Older Than You Think.” The display explores how Americans used the telegraph for personal and business communication long before the advent of computers and the Internet.

Discover the dawn of America’s electronic age on May 1, 1844, when Samuel Morse’s collaborator, Alfred Vail, gathered news from railroad passengers at Annapolis Junction and telegraphed it to Washington in seconds—an hour before the passengers arrived in the city to share the news by word of mouth.

Learn how the telegraph and teleprinter transformed communication from the 1840s through the 1980s. Explore early forms of social media using telegrams, text messages transmitted via stock tickers, and personal electronic messaging for the deaf—all decades before personal computers and smartphones became commonplace.

The Odenton Heritage Society Historical Center is located at 1367 Odenton Road and is open the first Sunday of every month from 1:00PM to 4:00PM.  Admission is free, and visitors can enjoy guided museum tours led by costumed docents.  Help us preserve Odenton’s history for future generations! While visiting, please consider becoming a member of the Odenton Heritage Society. As an all-volunteer organization, we rely on the generosity and support of our members to preserve, celebrate, and share Odenton’s rich history. Your membership makes a meaningful difference in keeping our community’s history alive!