Annual Meeting 2023

The 112th annual meeting of The Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America was held at the 3 West Club. At the meeting, Colonial Lords President, Leighton Coleman presented The Timothy Field Beard Memorial Award to Henry C. Pitts, the President of the Manor Conservancy, in recognition of the conservancy’s dedication in the preservation of over 4,000 acres of land that was once part of Maryland’s “My Lady’s Manor” for the continued benefit of the public and the enjoyment of future generations.

is a non-for-profit organization that preserves over 4,000 acres of land that was once part of Maryland’s My Lady’s Manor. In 1713, Charles Calvert, 3rd Lord Baltimore, gave his fourth wife, Margaret Charleton of Hexham, the gift of 10,000 acres in what is now Baltimore and Harford County. These 10,000 acres, known as My Lady’s Manor, were eventually transferred from ownership of the Calvert Family and rule of the British Crown to the veterans of the Revolutionary War and to former tenants at auction. My Lady’s Manor is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized for its continued identity as a rural, agricultural, and historical treasure.

After the award ceremony and a lecture program on the storied history of My Lady’s Manor given by Henry Pitts, the membership and guests attended a punch reception on the terrace that commands views of the rooftop gardens of Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s gothic spires. At the seated dinner, which was held in the club’s library, Henry Pitts related an amusing story about a rare 18th century mis-measurement in surveying My Lady’s Manor and its neighboring manor, creating a “wedge” of 140 acres of unclaimed land, that two enterprising 19th century farmers seized. The evening concluded with deep admiration of the dedication that the officers of The Manor Conservancy have in preserving the rural landscape of their community.