On March 3, 2017, I presented at an event for the Friends of Rich Hill and the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco. The event venue was the restored Port Tobacco courthouse in Port Tobacco, Maryland. Though Port Tobacco is the former stomping grounds of conspirator George Atzerodt, the subject of this event was the lead assassin, John Wilkes Booth. While I have given speeches about Booth in the past, including my 2016 speech for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum volunteers, I had never previously attempted to portray John Wilkes Booth in the first person. The event in Port Tobacco, billed as “An Evening with John Wilkes Booth”, was my first attempt at being John Wilkes Booth, rather than just discussing John Wilkes Booth.
The following play is meant to provide an insight into the mind of John Wilkes Booth by utilizing much of his own words and writings. Some of the words said by Booth are uncomfortable to hear, but they are vital if we are to truly understand the world view of Lincoln’s assassin. The video of the performance is embedded below or you can watch it directly on YouTube by clicking here.
EDIT: I just realized that today is the five year anniversary of my very first posting here on BoothieBarn. When I started this site, it was an outlet for me to share some of the interesting things I had learned while researching the Lincoln assassination. I didn’t really know if it would be of interest to anyone other than myself. However, through this site I have made many wonderful friends and have been fortunate enough to speak about John Wilkes Booth and Lincoln’s assassination in several venues. And so after 5 years, 400+ posts and almost 600 followers later, I want to thank you all for your much appreciated support. As long as I keep finding interesting things about the Lincoln assassination to share, I expect posts will continue here on BoothieBarn for many more years to come.
Our friend and fellow Lincoln assassination researcher, Scott Schroeder, was a recent guest on a podcast that discusses comic books of the horror genre. The subject of Scott’s appearance on Midnight The Podcasting Hour stems from his own interest in depictions of Abraham Lincoln and his assassination in comic books. On the podcast, Scott shared one of the many unique stories he had found that centers around Lincoln and his assassination. Specifically, Scott highlighted a story from a 1972 issue of the analogy Ghosts entitled The Crimson Claw!
In the podcast, Scott leads a fascinating discussion with the host regarding the almost unbelievable facts behind this work of artistic fiction. The entire podcast is 51 minutes long but Scott doesn’t really start in until the 5:30 mark and his segment ends at 39:30. You can listen to the podcast by clicking here to stream it, or by clicking here to download it.
Scott Schroeder will be speaking more on the topic of the Lincoln assassination in comic books at this year’s annual Surratt Society Conference on April 1, 2017. The conference is put on by the Surratt House Museum and takes place at the Colony South Hotel and Conference Center in Clinton, Maryland. Scott’s speech topic perfectly fits my description of the event as Boothie Comic-Con. The conference is a wonderful way to learn more about the Lincoln assassination and meet others who share an interest in the history. Please visit the Surratt House Museum website for information on how to register. I will be joining Scott as a presenter at this year’s conference, so I hope you’ll be able join us.
I want to thank Scott for his kind references to BoothieBarn and Roger Norton’s Lincoln Discussion Symposium during the podcast.
To tide you all over until Scott’s speech in April, here is a far inferior post I put up a few years ago about some of the other depictions of The Lincoln Assassination in Comic Books.
If any of you in the D.C. metropolitan area happened to be watching NBC’s News4 Midday today, you might have seen a familiar face and outfit. I was asked to appear on the live news show along with Melissa Willett of the Charles County Garden Club in order to promote this Saturday’s Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage in Charles County. Every three years the pilgrimage takes place in Charles County and this year it will be featuring two properties connected to the Lincoln assassination story. Participants in the tour will have the opportunity to visit and go inside Thomas Jones’ house of Huckleberry as well as walk the property of the Loyola on the Potomac Catholic Retreat which contains the exact site of where John Wilkes Booth and David Herold got into a boat and tried to cross the Potomac. Melissa and I were interviewed about the event by NBC anchor Barbara Harrison:
As stated in the interview I will be at Huckleberry from 10:00 – 5:00pm on Saturday, showing people the inside of the house and discussing Thomas Jones’ role in assisting John Wilkes Booth. Tickets for the tour, which contains a total of eight homes, are $35 and they can be purchased at any of the sites during the tour on Saturday, May 28, 2016. The proceeds from the event will be benefiting the Maryland Veterans Museum.
I enjoyed the interview with Ms. Harrison and was happy to see that, in the footage that rolled as we spoke, the highway marker for the Garrett site made an appearance. I wrote the text for that marker and it was on the day that we unveiled it that I made my first live television appearance. I always have fun sharing my interest in the Lincoln assassination story with others, even if it is for a brief time during a busy news show.
Aerial America is a stunningly beautiful television show on the Smithsonian Channel. The premise of the show is simple: use awe inspiring aerial photography to tell compelling stories of a state’s varied history. The series, which premiered in 2010, has featured each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and has also expanded into other destinations. The hour long episodes feature exquisite fly overs of historic sites and vistas, along with a compelling retelling of their significance.
On April 26, 2015, the episode devoted to Washington, D.C. aired for the first time. It was ironic date for the show to debut because not only is April 26 the same day John Wilkes Booth was cornered and killed, but the episode itself featured a five minute segment about Lincoln’s assassination and Booth’s escape. The episode provided beautiful shots of Ford’s Theatre, Baptist Alley behind Ford’s, the Surratt Tavern, Dr. Mudd’s House, Rich Hill, and Grant Hall where the trial of the conspirators occurred. Here are some screen grabs of the episode:
To see the episode images of Col. Samuel Cox’s home of Rich Hill, please visit the Friends of Rich Hill blog post entitled, Rich Hill on Aerial America. and please consider following the Friends of Rich Hill blog to stay up to date with our rehabilitation of the home.
The episode also contained some generic shots of woods, swamps, and farms to represent other areas of the escape route but were clearly not the real places they were describing. Still, the five minute segment gave a wonderful look at part of the escape of John Wilkes Booth, from the unique aerial perspective.
You can visit the Aerial America page of the Smithsonian Channel’s website to check for future airings of the Washington, D.C. episode (next one appears to be November 28th at 5:00 pm EST). You can also purchase the episode through video streaming websites like Amazon Video.
This morning at 7:30 am EST, I was interviewed along with Tim Morgan, the Chief of Tourism and Special Events for Charles County, MD, about the escape and death of John Wilkes Booth on Fox 5 in D.C. It was my first time on live television and definitely an exciting experience for me. Here’s a capture of the interview:
Admittedly, I made a couple slip ups during the interview. I caught myself after accidentally saying that Dr. Mudd broke John Wilkes Booth’s leg rather than setting Booth’s broken leg. I also gave the wrong weekend for the upcoming Symposium at Tudor Hall. That symposium is taking place on May 9th and you should all sign up for it today!
Well, I’m off to Port Royal now. At 2:00 pm we are having an unveiling ceremony at the Port Royal Museum of American History. We will be unveiling the new highway marker that has been placed near the site of John Wilkes Booth’s death, 150 years ago today. Keep an eye on my Twitter for details.
This month will mark the 150th anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. This milestone will be accompanied by MANY events, exhibits, and talks. I, for one, plan to be very busy during the next few weeks. Below is just a sampling of some of the more notable Lincoln assassination events that are planned for this historic month. Take a look at the events below and be sure to visit the Calendar section of this site for a full list of events.
April 2nd:
“A Fiendish Assassination” opens at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois
In addition to their, “Undying Words” exhibit, the ALPLM in Springfield will debut a new exhibit on the assassination featuring items never before seen by the general public. The exhibit runs until mid-July. For more information, click here.
As part of the Archives’ “Noon Book Lectures” series, Dr. Alford will discuss his biography of the assassin. For more information and to make your free reservation for the event, click here.
April 9th:
“The Mystery of Dr. Mudd & John Wilkes Booth” presented by Tom Mudd, a descendant of Dr. Mudd, in East Lansing, Michigan
While I don’t always agree with Tom Mudd regarding his descendant’s innocence, it is always a treat to hear him talk about his famous ancestor. For more information, click here.
April 12th:
“A House Divided: Edwin and John Wilkes Booth” presented by Dave Taylor (Hey, that’s me!) at the Booth family home of Tudor Hall in Bel Air, Maryland
I’m honored to be speaking at the home of the Booths about the siblings Edwin and John Wilkes. If you attend, please come up and say hi after. For more information, click the image above.
James Swanson, author of the book, Manhunt: The Twelve Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, will speak at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.
James Swanson will discuss his own interest and study of Lincoln’s assassination. For more information, click here.
April 13th:
“Lincoln’s Legacy: An Evening with Doris Kearns Goodwin” at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan.
Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals, will discuss Lincoln’s enduring legacy. In addition, the chair Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated, will be put on special display for this event and the following day. For more information, click here.
“Lincoln’s Last Days” debuts on the Smithsonian Channel.
At 8 pm EST, Smithsonian Channel will debut its newest documentary about the death of Lincoln. For more information and additional showtimes, click here.
April 14th:
“Horror! Horror! Most Dreadful News!: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln” presented by Scott Schroeder in Bloomington, Indiana
While they are many talks planned in Indiana on April 14th (check out the Calendar page for a full listing), if you are in the Midwest, I highly recommend you attend this one by Scott Schroeder. This is the first of three lectures Scott will give on the subject of Lincoln’s assassination which shows his deep familiarity and knowledge on the subject. For more information, click here.
Lincoln’s Last Hours at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland
The NMHM is planning an open house and several commemorative events for April 14th and 15th. For more information, click here.
The Lincoln Tribute at Ford’s Theatre
The entire Ford’s Theatre campus will be bustling with activity for a 36 hour period between April 14th and 15th. Reenactors in period garb will be out on 10th St. discussing the end of the Civil War and the hopes of reconciliation under President Lincoln. Those hopes will be shattered upon the “news” of Lincoln’s assassination and the night’s deathwatch. In addition to this free and public reenactment, several ticketed events will occur that night:
Now He Belongs to the Ages: A Lincoln Commemoration is a one time performance taking place inside Ford’s Theatre at 9 pm on April 14th. This event will also be streamed live at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and online.
At midnight on April 15th, author of Manhunt, James Swanson, will provide his own, insightful tour of Ford’s Theatre.
“A Vigil for President Lincoln (An Evening of Readings)” at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, IL
In addition to the many wonderful exhibits the ALPLM in putting on in recognition of the Lincoln 150th, they will be presenting an evening’s vigil for the President. For more information, click here.
April 15th:
7:22 am Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Petersen House in Washington, D.C.
Each year, the National Park Service honors Lincoln’s memory by laying a wreath at the Petersen House, when Lincoln died. This year’s ceremony will be accompanied by the church bells of Washington ringing out in memory of our fallen leader.
As part of the Archives’ “Noon Book Lectures” series, Harold Holzer will discuss his book. For more information and to make your free reservation for the event, click here.
April 17th:
American Civil War Roundtable (UK) Conference featuring author, Michael Kauffman
Residents of the United Kingdom aren’t being left out of all the Lincoln assassination events. Michael Kauffman, author of American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies, will be giving two speeches at the ACWRT’s Conference in Ascot, Berkshire, England. For more information on this three day conference, click here.
During this weekend long commemoration, Charles County will be having many events relating the story of John Wilkes Booth’s escape through Charles County. The events include:
An Evening of Civil War Music and Words at the College of Southern Maryland in La Plata, MD
A Global View of The Escape at James E. Richmond Science Center in Waldorf, MD
Lincoln 150 – On the Trail of the Assassin at the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House in Waldorf, MD
Villains, Rebels & Rogues at Rich Hill, the home of Samuel Cox, in Bel Alton, MD (I, Dave Taylor, will be giving tours and talks here)
Conspiracy – The Talk of Port Tobacco in Port Tobacco, MD
Here’s a commercial and an interview I did with the Charles County Government about the event and my interest in John Wilkes Booth:
For more information about the Charles County Lincoln 150, click here.
April 20th:
“The President is Shot! The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the Hunt for his Assassin” presented by Geoff Elliot in Loudonville, Ohio
Geoff Elliot runs the Abraham Lincoln Blog and has a large following on Twittter as @Mr_Lincoln. For more information on his speech, click here.
April 23rd:
“Horror! Horror! Most Dreadful News!: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln” presented by Scott Schroeder in Crawfordsville, Indiana
Couldn’t attend Scott Schroeder’s speech on the 14th? Here’s your second chance when he speaks at the home of the Lew Wallace, a member of the military commission that tried the Lincoln conspirators. For more information, click here.
Caroline County, Virginia will commemorate the death of John Wilkes Booth with a weekend long event including a bus tour of Booth’s route through Virginia, a speech by author Terry Alford, and a lunch with Mr. and Mrs Lincoln. For more information about the three day event, including how to register, click here.
April 25th:
A Walking Tour of Lincoln’s New York Funeral Procession by Richard Sloan in New York City, New York
Richard Sloan will present a walking tour of some of the sites Lincoln’s hearse passed in NYC. Reserve your space by contacting the Lincoln Group of New York.
“Luther Baker and the Capture of John Wilkes Booth” presented by Steve Miller in Lansing, Michigan
Learn about the manhunt and death of Booth by a leading expert on his capture, Steve Miller. For more information, click here.
April 26th:
“John Wilkes Booth and Tudor Hall” presented by Jim Garrett at the Booth family home of Tudor Hall in Bel Air, Maryland
Jim Garrett will provide a wonderful history of Tudor Hall, the home of the illustrious Booth family, and the black sheep of the family, John Wilkes Booth. For more information, click here.
Garrett Farm Historical Marker Unveiling in Port Royal, Virginia
The historic highway marker located at the site of the Garrett farmhouse where John Wilkes Booth died was stolen a few months back. The Surratt Society raised funds to create a new sign with updated text. Join us on April 26th at 2:00pm at the Port Royal Museum of American History in Port Royal, Virginia, for the unveiling of the new sign.
On April 12th of this year, I underwent a journey into history. For 3 days and 2 nights, I completely immersed myself in the conditions John Wilkes Booth faced while hiding out in a pine thicket after he assassinated Abraham Lincoln. The project took months of preparation and the assistance of countless individuals who alerted me to new research, informed me of the intricacies of 19th century attire, and provided much needed moral support for such an endeavor. I strove to ensure that this experience was as genuine as possible and committed to feeling the same discomfort Booth felt.
Even from the beginning I knew I wanted to document the experience in order to share it with others. While the 19th century method of documentation would have been limited to the written word, modern technology allows us to go further. Therefore, with camera gear as my only anachronism, I walked into the woods with the same meager supplies that were afforded to Booth hoping to shed some light on this forgotten part of his escape.
Today, I publish the final installment of the series, bringing the project to its completion. I am extremely grateful to not only those listed in this final video but also the many others who helped my along the way and prayed for my safety. I hope that you have enjoyed this series as I hope to produce more like it in the future.
To watch the final video, you can either click on the image above and scroll down, click HERE to watch the video on YouTube, or play the embedded video below.
Remember that all of the videos in the series can be found in one place by clicking the “John Wilkes Booth in the Woods” image at the top of this post.
The advent of photography allowed the Civil War to be documented in an unprecedented way. Instead of relying solely on written accounts and hastily drawn sketches of the battlefield, photography allowed the horrors of war to be transmitted in painful detail to the masses. In the 150 years that have passed since that great conflict, the black and white and sepia tinted images of the war have become well known and almost commonplace. However, thanks to new technology and painstaking work by devoted enthusiasts/artists, we are now able to see Civil War scenes and figures almost exactly as they appeared in real life. Instead of being trapped forever in black and white, these historic images are being reborn in color.
The following images are colorized versions of assassination related people and events. They are the detailed work of two different men. One of them is named David Richardson. David owns and operates his own website, Civil War in Color, where he sells his colorized and 3D photographs. The other artist is named Mads Madsen. He is a twenty something year-old Denmark man with a passion for colorization. His online gallery, which I encourage you all to visit and get lost in for awhile, contains hundreds of images that he has brought to life with his shockingly realistic colorization. Just today, Mads released a colorized version of John Wilkes Booth and it is so extraordinary that I knew I had to share it.
Both men have been slowly developing and improving their techniques in order to create the most realistic images possible. The images below come from different periods of that development, with some not being as refined as others. They nevertheless provide a vivid and unique view of assassination related figures and events.
Want to come heckle LincolnConspirators.com author Dave Taylor in person? Here are some of my public speaking engagements planned for the future. NOTE: These upcoming speeches may be cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: TBD Saturday(s) in 2023 Location: Surratt House Museum (9118 Brandywine Road, Clinton, MD 20735) Time: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Speech: John Wilkes Booth Escape Route Bus Tour Description: Dave is one of the narrators for the Surratt Society’s John Wilkes Booth Escape Route Tour. The 12 hour bus tour documents the escape of the assassin through Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Information on how to register can be found here: http://www.surrattmuseum.org/booth-escape-tour Cost: $85
If you are interested in having Dave speak to your group about any aspect of the Lincoln assassination story, click to Contact or send an email to admin@LincolnConspirators.com
Now He Belongs to the Ages: A Lincoln Commemoration
LincolnConspirators.com 
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