HIS NAME WAS MUDD

It had been a long winter and with the coming of spring, I needed to scratch the Traveling Itch. I decided to take a little tune up road trip before embarking on my summer adventures. The first adventure of 2023 was a little weekend trip to Maryland and Eastern Virginia for a little history and railfanning. I spent the weekend in Ashland, Virginia. I had lived there many years ago and so much had changed. One thing that hasn't changed is the trains that run right down the middle of the street.  . For those of you that don't know, Ashland is a popular place for railfans to come and photograph or video the street running trains. Ashland is so popular that they host an annual train days festival the last of April. In addition to CSX Freight Traffic there are lots of Amtrak trains that pass through the town on a daily basis.

While in Ashland I took a break from watching train and headed up to Maryland. On the way up I  passed a Virginia Historical marker that stood on the north side of Highway 301 between Bowling Green and Port Royal.

 

This was the site of the Garrett Farm where Union Troops Shot and Killed John Wilkes Booth on April 26, 1865. The Garrett barn and home once stood on this site. Today the actual site of the house and barn is in the median of the Highway.

They both are long gone. There use to be a couple of small plaques in the Median marking where the buildings once stood. But because of the danger of people stopping on the side of the busy highway, the Highway Department has blocked off access. So, all that is here now a Virginia Historical Marker. 

After leaving the site of the Garrett Farm, and crossing the Potomac River into Maryland I decided to head up to Bryantown, Maryland and see if the Dr. Samuel Home was open for Tours. I had been to the Mudd home a few years back as I was traveling to Annapolis when Wake Forest played in the Military Bowl. Since that was in December, the Home and Grounds were closed. So Today I will try again.

In the early morning of April 15, 1865, John Wilkes Booth and his companion David Herold arrived at the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd seeking treatment for a broken leg that Booth had suffered when he jumped from the presidential box onto the stage at Ford's Theater after shooting President Abraham Lincoln.

 

Home of Dr. Samuel Mudd

Dr. Mudd treated Booth and allowed him to rest at the home for several hours. We know now that, 10-days later Booth was Killed by Union Troop as he was hiding in a Barn at the Garrett Farm

This time the home was open and I decided to pay the $8 fee for the guided tour. I must say it was a great tour. The ladies that conduct the tours are amazing. They are so knowledgeable about the the Mudd Family and the events that occurred in the Life of Dr. Mudd. 

The home was in the Mudd Family from 1857 until 1974. Because it remained in the Mudd family for more than 100-years, more than 90% of the furniture is original to the house.

 

The Booth Sofa in the Parlor

When Booth and Herold arrived at the home around 4 a.m. on April 15, 1865, the entered through the front door and Booth took a see on a red sofa in the parlor.

While Booth sat on the sofa and Hearold stood near by Dr. Mudd cut off the boot that Booth was wearing so that he could examine the broken leg.  On a side note, I have seen the actual boor which is on display in the museum at Ford's Theater. 

After the initial examination, Booth was moved to and upstairs bedroom where Dr. Mudd, set and splinted Booth's Broken Leg. 

The Bed where John Wilkes Booth Rested

The tour takes you upstairs where can can visit the bedroom where Booth was treated and permitted to rest for several hours. Also up stairs is Dr. Mudd's Office that contains his medical bag and instruments, along with his desk and medicine cabinet.  

One of the more interesting things that in one of the upstairs bedrooms are two twin beds.  While these beds have no real connection to the Mudd Family, they do have a connection to the John Wilkes Booth and his escape route. 

After Booth was killed in the Garrett Barn, The Richard Garrett was accused of aiding Booth in his attempted escape. While he never faced prosecution, the tobacco barn was burned by Union Troops in an attempt to smoke Booth and Herold from their hiding place.  This was a severe financial loose for Garrett who failed in his attempt to secure financial repayment from the Government. 

Twin Beds from the Home of Richard Garrett

Over the years the Garrett Farm farm became a place for sight-seers who would vandalize the property in search of souvenirs. The property deteriorated and and by the time Richard Garrett died in 1878, the house and property was in a sad state.  Much of the family's personal possessions went to family or were sold. 

As a result, two twin bed from the Garrett Home fell into the possession of a neighboring family who several years later gave them to one of Dr. Mudd's relatives who was living in the good doctors home.  The two twin beds from the Home of Richard Garrett are on display in an upstairs bedroom. 

Dr. Mudd was tried as a conspirator. While several others including David Herold were Hanged, Dr. Mudd escaped the hang mans noose and was sentenced to Prison. He was severing his sentence at Fort Jefferson off the coast of Florida. In the fall of 1867, a yellow fever epidemic struck the prison killing several prisoners, and members of the prison staff including the prison doctor. 

St. Mary's Catholic Church

Dr. Mudd stepped in and helped stem the epidemic. As a result the Guards and prison staff wrote letters to President Andrew Johnson and petitioning him to pardon Dr. Mudd. On February 8, 1869, President Andrew Johnson pardoned Dr. Mudd and he was released from Prison on March 8, 1869.  

Dr. Mudd returned to his Maryland Home on March 20, 1869 where he resumed his medical practice and slowly returned the family farm to productivity. He attempted to live a quiet life, shying away from the spotlight that history has cast upon him. He seldom gave interviews and the entire community rallied around him in an attempt to shield him from the reporters who would show up from time to time looking for a story.

Grave of Dr. Samuel Mudd

Dr. Samuel Mudd was just 49 years old when he passed away from pneumonia on January 10, 1883. His funeral was held at the St. Mary's Catholic Church and he was buried in the adjacent church cemetery. 

After I finished touring the Dr. Mudd House and Grounds, I made my way down to the St. Mary's Catholic Church  where Dr. which is the final resting place of Dr. Mudd and many members of his family. 

After I finished up with my tour of Dr. Mudd's Home I took some time to talk with the fine ladies who conduct the tours. During our conversations they told me about a couple of more sites along Booths escape route that were nearby. 

Rich Hill Farm

So on the way back I followed their directions and end up at Rich Hill Farm, Which was a historic place even before April 1865. Rich Hill Farms was also the birthplace and childhood home of Margaret Brown and her brother Gustavus Brown. Margaret grew up to marry Thomas Stone who was one of the Founding Fathers and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Gustavus Brown grew up to become a notable and well respected doctor. Dr. Gustavus Brown went on to become one of George Washington's personal physicians and was tending to President Washington on his deathbed. Dr. Brown was present at Mount Vernon, when the Father of out Country passed away on December 14, 1799.

Historical Marker at the Pine Thicket

Fast forward to April 1865. Rich Hill Farm was the home of Samuel Cox back on April 16. After leaving Dr. Mudd's home, Booth and Herold made their way to Rich Hill, arriving here shortly after midnight on April 16, 1865.  Cox arranged for Booth and Herold hide and rest in the adjacent woods, 

Cox, with the help of Thomas Jones and Franklin Robey arranged for Booth and Herold to hide out and rest in a pine thicket a few miles away. From April 16-21, 1865, Booth and Herold hide in the thicket while Jones brought them food and Newspapers.  It was while hiding in the pine thicket that Booth learned that instead of being a "southern hero," he was a despised criminal. 

The Pine Thicket

On the evening of April 21, 1865, under the cover of darkness, Jones led Booth and Herold to the banks of the Potomac river Jones had hid a small boat. The assassins paddled slowly across the wide river arriving on the Virginia Shore around midnight. 

Less than a week Later, April 26, 1865, Sergeant Boston Corbett shot John Wilkes Booth in Richard Garrett's Tobacco.  David Herold surrendered and was tried with the other conspirators. He was hanged in Washington D. C.,  on July 7, 1865