Rich Hill is a historic home located in Bel Alton, Charles County, Maryland. Built in 1729, the house has some amazing Revolutionary War connections. It was the birthplace of Dr. Gustavus Brown, a doctor of George Washington’s who tended to the Father of Our Country on his deathbed. It was also the birthplace of Margaret Brown, the wife of Declaration of Independence signer Thomas Stone. During the Civil War era, the home was owned by Samuel Cox. After having his broken leg tended to by Dr. Mudd, John Wilkes Booth and his accomplice David Herold made their way to Rich Hill, looking for assistance from Cox during their escape. According to Oswell Swan, the Black man who, unaware of their identity, guided the assassins to Rich Hill, Booth and Herold spent a few hours inside Rich Hill before they were hidden in a nearby pine thicket by Cox’s farm overseer.
Rich Hill is the second oldest standing house in Charles County. Up until a few years ago, however, things were looking bleak for this truly exceptional property. Years of neglect had left the home in a sad state of affairs. I remember visiting the house in 2011 when there was no front door and the insides had been trashed by vandals. It truly looked like this house was destined to collapse, much like the Garrett home where Lincoln’s assassin eventually died.
Rich Hill as it appeared in 2011
However, in 2014, an effort was undertaken by the Historical Society of Charles County and the Charles County Government to save this unique piece of history. The county government acquired the property from the owner, and the process was started to stabilize and restore the home. It has been a long process, but through private donations, grants, and a state of Maryland bond of $600,000, the home has been successfully stabilized, a new roof has been added, and the exterior of the home is now completely restored.
Rich Hill in 2025
The only work that remains is to finish the interior of the building. Unfortunately, the state bond funds have been exhausted. While the county government has also been a great partner over the years, it is also unable to provide additional funding for the interior of the house. They will, however, continue to own the site and take care of its maintenance, landscaping, and utilities. Earlier this year, the Charles County Government signed an updated memorandum of understanding with the Historical Society of Charles County, effectively placing the historical society in charge of financing and completing the work.
Recent actions at the federal level have significantly decreased the amount of funds available for historic preservation grants. The Historical Society of Charles County is attempting to raise $150,000 in order to get Rich Hill over the finish line. This final push will pay for the electrical, insulation, HVAC, drywall, painting, and other finishing touches for the interior of Rich Hill.
Once the interior is done, the house will finally be ready to open as a new museum. The Friends of Rich Hill committee group has been hard at work over the past decade, acquiring furnishings, artwork, portraits, and exhibits to tell the story of this historic house and the men and women who lived here. Already, the site is conducting outreach with interpretive signs that discuss the history of the house, the lives of enslaved men and women who lived here, and Charles County’s role in Revolutionary and Civil War history. After a decade of hard work, the end is finally in sight, and Rich Hill is so close to opening its doors as a museum.
If you can, please consider donating to the Historical Society of Charles County to help support their efforts to finish the restoration of Rich Hill. The historical society is a 501c3 non-profit, and all donations are tax-deductible.
You can make an online donation to the Historical Society via PayPal by clicking here or on the image below.
You can also mail a donation to the following address:
The Historical Society of Charles County
PO Box 2806
La Plata, Maryland 20646
As an original member of the Friends of Rich Hill Steering Committee, I hope you’ll consider giving whatever you can to help turn Rich Hill into a museum. Even a few bucks will help. I will be donating all the proceeds from my Patreon for this month (April 2025) to Rich Hill as my way of paying it forward.
With just one more push, we can help bring a new museum to the John Wilkes Booth escape route. And while other museums like the Surratt Tavern and the Dr. Mudd house really only have the Lincoln assassination story going for them, Rich Hill also has some really cool Revolutionary War history that deserves to be told. Thanks for donating.
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