Surratt Tavern

Surratt Tavern (HM27L)

Location: Clinton, MD 20735 Prince George's County
Buy Maryland State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 45.861', W 76° 53.855'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 1301 views
Inscription

Confederate Safe House

— John Wilkes Booth - Escape of an Assassin —

Owned and operated by the ardently pro-Southern Surratt family, this building was used by Confederate agents as a safe house during the Civil War. Built in 1852, the structure was a tavern, hostelry and post office.

Surratt's son, John, Jr., a Confederate courier, came into contact with actor John Wilkes Booth in 1864. Booth planned to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln, and Surratt was to help convey Lincoln to Richmond. The tavern was to serve as a way-station during the kidnapping. Weapons and supplies were secreted here.

In December, 1864, Surratt's mother, Mary E. Surratt, rented out the tavern and moved to her other home on H Street in Washington. Booth visited there often, and two of his conspirators boarded with her briefly. Eventually, the kidnapping plan turned to assassination, and after Booth shot the president on April 14, 1865, he and accomplice David E. Herold came directly here to retrieve the weapons the conspirators had stashed earlier. They arrived at midnight, then headed south toward the hamlet of T.B.

Mrs. Surratt's tenant here later gave damaging testimony that sent her to the gallows on July 7, 1865 - the first woman executed by the federal government. Her son fled the country but was later returned for trial. The trial resulted in a hung jury.
Details
HM NumberHM27L
Series This marker is part of the Maryland Civil War Trails series
Tags
Placed ByMaryland Civil War Trails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, October 13th, 2014 at 6:25pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 335134 N 4292336
Decimal Degrees38.76435000, -76.89758333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 45.861', W 76° 53.855'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 45' 51.66" N, 76° 53' 51.30" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)240, 301, 410
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 9142-9164 Brandywine Rd, Clinton MD 20735, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?