Tracking History

This year marks the 140th anniversary of one of the nation’s first great manhunts – the frantic search for John Wilkes Booth. The assassin shot Abraham Lincoln as the president watched a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington on April 14, 1865. Booth, 26 – a celebrated actor who knew Ford’s well – leaped from the box to the stage, shouted his infamous line, “Sic semper tyrannis!” (“Thus always to tyrants!”), and began his mad 12-day dash out of the city, through Maryland and into Virginia.The point of tracing the route is not to glorify Booth, of course. It’s to marvel at how many landmarks of that searing tragedy survive to this day – and to enjoy some of the surprising sights and tastes of the countryside along the way.Begin at the beginning: Ford’s Theatre. Look at the presidential box and hear about that night from a National Park Service ranger: Booth pulled the trigger during the laughs for a punch line in Act III, Scene 2 of “Our American Cousin.” Then follow his getaway: Booth swung into the saddle of his horse in the alley behind Ford’s and headed east on F Street NW. Nearby is the former boarding house of Mary Surratt where the conspirators had plotted – now it’s a Chinese-Japanese restaurant called Wok ‘n Roll.Much of the scenery along the escape route has changed, naturally: The giant chair in Anacostia that marks where the Curtis Bros. furniture store once was certainly was not there. Outside the city, old country roads have been straightened, widened and paved. But in Clinton, Md., the Surratt House and Tavern (also owned by Mary Surratt) – where Booth stopped for supplies – looks about as it did that night (though now it’s across from a gas station, not a livery stable). Today, you can provision at the Ice Cream Factory & Cafe in Brandywine with old-fashioned frozen custard that comes in 24-plus flavors. Then meander along increasingly rural byways to the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd in Waldorf, where Booth sought treatment for his leg, which was presumably broken in his leap to the stage.Booth rowed across the Potomac River, but modern trackers are lucky to have the Harry Nice Bridge. After passing through historic Port Royal, Va., you reach the wooded site of Garrett’s Farm, which no longer exists. (Historic markers by the side of northbound Route 301 show the exact spot of the farm; driving southbound you’ll see a marker as you leave Port Royal, about 2.2 miles from the farm site.) When the assassin refused to come out of a tobacco shed, Union soldiers set it on fire and fatally shot him. As he lay dying, the actor muttered his last line: “Useless. Useless.”Maryland offers a free map of the route and related information, called “John Wilkes Booth: Escape of an Assassin.” Call 888-248-4597. The National Park Service has information at www.nps.gov/foth/escapjwb.htm.Historic Stops On Booth’s Escape TrailWASHINGTON, D.C.See the murder weapon, a single-shot Derringer, and John Wilkes Booth’s left boot at the museum at Ford’s Theatre. 511 10th St. NW, 202-426-6924. Open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The theater is closed to tours during rehearsals or matinees, but the museum stays open.President Abraham Lincoln died at Petersen’s Boarding House, in a bed that was too short for his 6-foot-4-inch frame. 516 10th St. NW, 202-426-6924. Open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Giant Chair! Erected in 1959, the 19-foot mahogany Duncan Phyfe weighs 4,600 pounds. 2100 block of Martin Luther King Avenue SE.MARYLANDMary Surratt owned the tavern where Booth stopped for whiskey and a carbine. Today costumed docents give tours of the Surratt House Museum. 9118 Brandywine Rd., Clinton, Md., 301-868-1121. Open Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon-4 p.m. The Surratt Society also gives tours of the escape route in April and September.The historic Ice Cream Factory & Cafe used to be a post office and general store. It was built around 1867, two years after Booth passed by. 13700 Old Brandywine Rd., Brandywine, Md., 301-782-3444. Open Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday-Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. After May 1: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday-Sunday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House Museum, 3725 Dr. Samuel Mudd Rd., Waldorf, Md., 301-274-9358. Open for tours Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (Closed during the winter.)The historic marker for Booth’s river crossing is in the parking lot of three seafood spots that overlook the Potomac. 11000 block of Popes Creek Road, Newburg, Md.

Tracking History

Tracking History

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