The Talbot Boys Convervation: Bernard Demczuk on Unionville and Memorials

While the community conversation on the "Talbot Boys" has primarily focused on the future of the confederate soldier memorial on the Talbot County Courthouse lawn, the hamlet of Unionville, founded by eighteen African-Americans who had fought for the Union in 1865, has periodically been used by some as a counterpoint to those that suggest Talbot County has not equally honored the North's veterans of the Civil War. The immediate effect was to peek the Spy's curiosity about Unionville and its special history.

In this case, we were lucky to find Bernard Demczuk, who resides part-time at a second home on the Choptank River, who not only holds a PhD from Maryland in African-American history but has done extensive scholarship on Unionville. In fact, the George Washington University teacher and assistant VP for D.C. Relations for the school, had spent so much time on the Shore doing research that he purposely found a place on the Choptank, which many local African-Americans had named the Freedom River since it served as a critical pathway to freedom.

In his interview with the Spy, Demczuk talks about the importance of Unionville, the unique character of the men who founded that community, and his personal thoughts on what should be done about the Talbot Boys.