MD Scenic Byways - Digital Guide
Booth’s Escape
2021-08-13 04:29:11
MOSTLY COUNTRY ROADS
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john wilkes booth: chasing lincoln’s assassin
Follow the escape route of John Wilkes Booth, one of history’s most notorious assassins, as he fled from Washington, D.C., and hid for several days in Southern Maryland before being cornered.
66 MILES FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. TO POPES CREEK
The Civil War was coming to an end and hopes were high that the mending of America could quickly get under way. But on the night of April 14, 1865, thoughts of reconciliation suffered a serious setback. John Wilkes Booth, a Maryland-born actor and Confederate sympathizer, shot President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C. He then fled into Maryland and eluded Federal troops for nearly two weeks.
Washington, D.C., to Waldorf
INCLUDING MD 5 & MD 205
At Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., Booth snuck into the president’s box, shot Lincoln and then leapt dramatically onto the stage, breaking his leg but managing to escape. While the president’s body was moved across the street to Petersen’s Boarding House, Booth fled on horseback over the Navy Yard Bridge to rendezvous with accomplice David Herold.
Follow Booth and Herold to the town of Clinton, where they arrived at a tavern that Mary Surratt operated as a Confederate safe house. Today, the Surratt House Museum tells the tale of her role in the assassination plan and how she became the first woman to be executed by the U.S. government.
With fresh supplies, Booth and Herold quickly made their way to Dr. Samuel A. Mudd’s Waldorf home, now a popular museum stop. The country physician, apparently unaware of his patient’s role in Lincoln’s assassination, treated Booth’s broken leg — an act that would land Mudd in prison.
Continue south and visit St. Mary’s Church and Cemetery, one of many historic places of worship in Southern Maryland. It is Mudd’s final resting place.
Waldorf to Popes Creek
INCLUDING US 301
Visit the 21-mile-long, half-mile-wide Zekiah Swamp, a protected state wetland area popular among canoeists and bird watchers. Booth and Herold navigated around this swampy terrain on their way to Rich Hill, the home of Samuel Cox, near the present-day town of Bel Alton.
To the west is one of the oldest communities on the East Coast, Port Tobacco. Formerly an Indian settlement, it became a major seaport in the 17th century. Visit a museum inside the Port Tobacco Courthouse to see archaeological finds and gather Civil War knowledge, including information about George Atzerodt, a Booth conspirator who was assigned to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson but decided not to follow through.
Booth and Herold hid along Nanjemoy Creek before fl eeing into Virginia. The creek still has plenty of natural charm as a nesting site for bald eagles and fi shing hole for boaters who use the Friendship Landing ramp.
Across the Potomac River on April 26, Federal troops caught up with Booth and Herold at a Virginia farm. Herold surrendered, stood trial in Washington, D.C., and was hanged. Refusing to turn himself in, Booth was shot and killed while hiding in a barn.
DR.SAMUEL A. MUDD HOME AND MUSEMUM
Waldorf • 301-645-6870
www.drmudd.org
FRIENDHIP LANDING, NANJEMOY CREEK
Nanjemoy • 301-932-3470
https://destinationsouthernmaryland.com/places/friendship-landing/
PORT TOBACCO HISTORIC VILLAGE
Tobacco • 301-392-3418
https://porttobaccocourthouse.com/
ST.MARY'S CHURCH AND CEMETERY
Charlotte Hall
301-934-8825
https://stmarychurchnewport.org/
ST.MARY'S COUNTY WELCOME CENTER
Charlotte • 800-327-9023
www.visitstmarysmd.com/about-st-marys-welcome-center
SURRATT HOUSE MUSEUM
Clinton • 301-868-1121
www.surrattmuseum.org
ZEKIAH SWAMP NATRUAL ENVIRONMENT AREA Brandywine • 301-396-5839 https://destinationsouthernmaryland.com/places/zekiah-swamp-natural-environment-area/
For information about amenities found along this byway, please refer to the chart on page 62.
TRIP TIPS
Wear comfortable clothing and bring binoculars for bird-watching while hiking along trails and exploring wetlands.
SIDE TRIP
On the edge of the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., the urban-waterfront destination known as National Harbor features upscale shops, luxury accommodations and late-night entertainment. www.nationalharbor.com
MARYLAND LORE
John Wilkes Booth was born on a farm near Bel Air, Md. One of his older brothers, famed Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth, reportedly saved President Lincoln’s son Robert from falling into the path of a train several months prior to the president’s assassination.
Maryland Civil War Trails has an app to help guide you along the official trails and offer suggestions for more to explore.
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