Make Plans to Visit Tudor Hall in 2024

 

The historic Tudor Hall is a fascinating piece of our nation's history. When you visit, you'll connect to the story of the Maryland Booths who left their mark on America forever. You'll walk where they walked, lived, played, worked and dreamed. When you visit, this part of history comes alive.

The property and first floor of Tudor Hall will be open to visitors for tours in 2024 at 1:00 & 2:00 PM on the dates listed below. This year there are exciting Special Talks replacing the 2:00 tours on the dates listed with a (*). All 1:00 and other 2:00 tours will feature the general tour. All tours and talks last about 45 minutes. See below for details of the special talks and regular tours.

 Tudor Hall is located at:
17 Tudor Lane,  Bel Air, MD 21015
The cost of each Special Talk and each regular tour is $5.00 cash for those age 13 and older.
For more information:
443-619-0008 or SpiritsOfTudorHall@gmail.com  

April 7* & 21*; May 5* & 19*; June 2* & 16* &  30*; July 14* & 28*; August 11* & 25*; September 8 & 22*; October 6 & 20*; November 10*

 

*April 7
John Wilkes Booth on the Northern Neck
by Jim Garrett

*April 21
John Wilkes Booth at the Garrett Farm
by Jim Garrett

*May 5 & *August 11
Asia, the Sister of John Wilkes Booth shares her memories of John Wilkes and the Booth Family
by Lisa Samia
 
*May 19 & *June 30
The Forgotten Women of the Lincoln Assassination
by Kathryn Canavan

*June 2
Brides of Bluebeard: John Wilkes Booth’s Paramours; from Isabel Sumner to Ella Starr
by Kate Jones
 
*June 16
Life Imitating Art: How John Wilkes Booth Scripted the Lincoln Conspiracy and How Fate Refused to Cooperate with His Plans
by Michael Kauffman

 

*July 14
"Dear Lucy": Letters to the Assassin John Wilkes Booth’s Bride
by Kate Jones

*July 28
Junius Brutus Booth’s Last Trip Home
by Jim Garrett

*August 25  Canceled

 (This date is canceled due to water damage to Tudor Hall. The tour and talk is canceled for repairs. This talk has been rescheduled for October 6. Thank you for understanding and we hope to see you then!)

 Patriarchal Patriot: the Revolutionary Richard Booth, the Father of Junius and Grandfather of John Wilkes
by Kate Jones

*September 22   Canceled
This talk and tour has been cancelled due to repairs for water damage to Tudor Hall. We apologize for the inconvenience. 

A Long Look Backwards: Life from the Pen of Asia Booth, Sister of John Wilkes
by Kate Jones

 

* October 6 Update!  

Kate Jones' 2:00 PM  talk is canceled due to illness and has been rescheduled for October 20.
There will be the regular 1:00 tour and a 2:00 tour in place of Kate's talk on October 6.. 

 
*October 20

Patriarchal Patriot: the Revolutionary Richard Booth, the Father of Junius and Grandfather of John Wilkes
by Kate Jones

 
*November 10
Relics and Artifacts from John Wilkes Booth
by Jim Garrett

Here ere are the speakers:

Kathryn Canavan is an independent researcher and the author of Lincoln’s Final Hours: Conspiracy, Terror, and the Assassination of America’s Greatest President. She started her journalism career as a crime reporter. She eventually worked as reporter or editor in four states and was a National Health Journalism Fellow at USC’s Annenberg School. To get a story, Canavan has reported at gunpoint, lived with the Moonies, negotiated with a killer and joined Tug McGraw in the Phillies dugout. 

She began researching the unintended consequences of the Lincoln assassination in 2009. Lincoln's Final Hours has been featured on CSPAN and PBS Newsworks. She explores the effect that one extraordinary night had on the ordinary Washingtonians who witnessed what happened inside Petersen's Boarding House on the night President Lincoln died there. Their eyewitness accounts provide telling new details about the assassination. Some went on to lead lives that are the stuff of novels, and others came to sad ends. 

Jim Garrett is a life-long Lincoln Assassination and Booth enthusiast and researcher. He was a tour conductor for Historic Tours of America in Washington D.C. (rated #1 in the Washington Post and # 2 in the nation by Forbes.)
     Jim is currently with Guided Tours Unscripted which concentrates on tours of Arlington National Cemetery, Capitol Hill, Ford’s Theatre, the Petersen House where Lincoln died, and the immediate environs.

Kate Jones is a 19th century murder researcher, speaker, and living historian who specializes in the Lincoln assassination, the Lizzie Borden murders, and the case of the "Devil in the White City" multi-murderer, Dr. H. H. Holmes. She has presented on different aspects of the Lincoln assassination for several organizations including the Surratt Society and Fort Lesley J. McNair. Kate also speaks about the events of 1865 through her work at the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House Museum and Historic Port Tobacco Village.

Michael Kauffman: Author Jonathan Yardley once wrote in the Washington Post Book World that Michael W. Kauffman "has been studying Lincoln generally and the assassination specifically for 40 years, and he appears to know the subject better than anyone else now alive."

Combing through archives all over the U. S., Canada, and the U. K., Kauffman uncovered a staggering number of previously unknown sources to produce American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies (Random House, 2004), which historian David Herbert Donald called "by all means the best" work on the Lincoln assassination. The Wall Street Journal named it one of the five best books ever published on political violence, and Civil War Interactive placed it high on their list of the Most Important Civil War books ever published.

Kauffman had long been a fixture in Civil War studies, with contributions that appeared in Civil War Times, the Washington Post, American Heritage, Blue and Gray, and dozens of other publications. He has lectured throughout the United States and the U. K., and has appeared in documentaries on A&E, The Learning Channel, the History Channel, National Geographic, Discovery, and Travel Channels. American Brutus was his first major book, and it appeared in the Best Books lists of nearly every major media outlet in the United States. It was optioned for a 9-part miniseries on HBO.

Lisa Samia is an award-winning poet, author and speaker who loves American Civil War History. Her latest accomplishments are being selected as the National Parks Arts Foundation's Artist in Residence for Gettysburg National Battlefield Park 2020 & National Parks Service's Artist in Residence for Manassas National Battlefield Park 2021, both for her Civil War Poetry. She recently discovered a set of archived letters written by Asia Booth Clarke, the sister of John Wilkes Booth.

She also devoted three years traveling, researching, and writing the fictional novel series based on John Wilkes Booth “My Name is John Singer,” and "My Name is Mrs. John Singer." Lisa frequently lectures at literary and historical venues, notably The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum, the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House & Museum, The Civil War Interpretive Center Blenheim, The Civil War Round Table Congress, multiple Barnes & Noble locations, and the RJ Julia Bookstores.

Become a Member of The Junius B. Booth Society

 

The Junius B. Booth Society (a 501c3 non-profit organization) hopes you will consider making a donation to the Tudor Hall Museum. 

As a non-profit, we rely on our tours and special talks to sustain our mission to keep this important part of our American history alive. The story of the Maryland Booths and Tudor Hall is a fascinating piece of our nation's history and the Junius B. Booth Society has an active part in keeping this chapter of history alive. The Society was incorporated in Maryland in 2006 to educate the public and historians in the history of the Booth family and Tudor Hall, and developed and maintains the tour guide program at Tudor Hall in order to open the house for public tours on a regular basis.

If you are interested in this part of our history and help support Tudor Hall, become a member of the Junius B. Booth Society. When you join the JBBS, not only do you receive our newsletter, but you support the education of the public in: the theatrical arts; the Booth family history; the story of Tudor Hall; other Booth family historical sites located in Harford County; the history of owners, slaves, farmers, craftsmen and others connected to the Tudor Hall farm; Booth related literary works. The Society also supports the restoration and preservation of Tudor Hall and other Booth related buildings located in Harford County, MD.  

Join us in this exciting endeavor and help keep history alive. Download our membership application, fill out and mail back along with a check to:

Junius B. Booth Society
2223 Kentucky Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21213
Attn: Membership Committee

For more information call 443-619-0008 or SpiritsOfTudorHall@gmail.com

Thank you for your generosity and support for the Tudor Hall museum.

Junius Brutus Booth Rescued From a Watery Grave

by Tom Fink

From time to time Junius Brutus Booth displayed signs of brief insanity. At such times those close to him tried to help him. The Charleston Courier for March 12, 1838 reported one of these incidents:

     “Mr. Booth went on board the…packet, in a company with his friend, Mr. Flynn, the well-known Comedian, on Wednesday evening last [7 March], and on the passage showed evident symptoms of insanity, but being carefully watched by his anxious friend, had no opportunity of escaping his vigilant eye, and appeared to improve gradually under Mr. Flynn’s friendly care, until the afternoon of Friday last when 36 miles N.E. of Frying Pan Shoals, during dinner, when Mr. Booth excused himself from the table, took advantage of his friend’s absence, and lowered himself from the promenade deck, which attracted the attention of the men. Capt. Pennoyer, Mr. Flynn, and the rest of the passengers being called from dinner, endeavored to persuade him to return on board, when he not only refused, but immediately plunged into the ocean. Capt. Pennoyer instantly stopped the boat, which was then going at the rate of eleven miles an hour, and by his prompt exertions and presence of mind, a safety buoy was thrown over, and a safety boat immediately launched. The gallant Captain took the helm, and Mr. Booth, though then half a mile from the boat, was rescued from a watery grave.”

     Junius had asked Mr. Flynn to alert him when they approached the area where William Augustus Conway, a failed tragedian, had drowned himself. William Conway came to America in 1823 from England and had been a favorite actor at the Covent Garden Theatre in London. Because of the extremely fast popularity he gained in London, some of his jealous professional contemporaries ridiculed him publicly and conspired to drive him from his position on the stage. Because of his sensitive nature he chose to pursue his profession in America. In 1826, William decided to quit the stage and study Divinity. After three years he met with some personal opposition from the then Bishop of New York “from the fact of his having been an actor.”  During his voyage to Savannah to visit Bishop White “to take orders in the church,” Conway suddenly had a fit of despondency and jumped from the deck of the ship and drowned himself.

     When Junius reached the spot where Conway had drowned, he jumped overboard with a “message” for Conway. As Flynn pulled Junius into the safety boat, Booth warned, “I say Tom, look out: you’re a heavy man, be steady; if the boat upsets we’ll all be drowned.”

Was the Booth Farm Used to Help Runaway Slaves?

By Tom Fink

President, Junius B. Booth Society

While visiting with Elwin Penski (founder of the Junius B. Booth Society) one afternoon, he mentioned to me that he believed Richard Booth, the father of Junius Brutus Booth, had assisted escaped slaves when he resided at the Booth farm in Bel Air, MD, though he couldn’t recall a source to back up his belief. His statement piqued my curiosity and I immediately decided to investigate that claim. Not only could this change the way the general public perceives the Booth family, but it could possibly shine a new light on the history of the Booth farm.

     To make a long story short, while I was in correspondence with Dr. Terry Alford, a history professor at Northern Virginia Community College and a Booth historian (his biography of John Wilkes Booth will soon go to print) he directed me to a manuscript written by John T. Ford (who built and owned the theatres named after him in Baltimore and Washington) housed at the Maryland Historical Society.

     I followed his lead and found the manuscript located in the John T. Ford Manuscript Collection, MS 371, Maryland Historical Society. In a folder titled FORD MANUSCRIPTS: The Booth Family, there is a penned letter he wrote to the Editors of the Gazette. Whether he sent this letter or not, I do not know; however— it is a goldmine.

     The following is an excerpt from Ford’s manuscript just as he wrote it, including the words he crossed out with a single line:

“Editors of the Gazette

Gentlemen,

In the report of the “Surratt trial” published in yr paper on Thursday I notice a gross inaccuracy that I presume was the fault of the Reporter rather than the mistake of the eloquent counsel for the defense (Mr. Bradley).  I will correct the statement as briefly as I can by saying that it was the Grandfather Richard Booth not J.B. Booth Sr. that allowed the Red Republicanism of which he was so fully imbued to in   was a thorough Red-Republican.  He lived in its day and was himself an ardent admirer of “John Wilkes” of the North Briton.  He came to this country and state an old man and settled in Harford County with his son. He was an extremely brilliant but very erratic man and commenced here practically to develop his ideas of right in that direction by aiding slaves servants to escape into Pennsylvania.  His evident sincerity in the cause of human rights, his unbalanced mind and the popularity of his son together saved him on several occasions from prosecution although the son (J.B.B. Sr.) did on more than one occasion pay for the a escaped runaway.”

John T. Ford was well acquainted with the Booths. Junius, Edwin, and John performed at his theatres and he had a working relationship with them, and no doubt a personal relationship as well. Though John’s manuscript is not dated, it was obviously written at the time of the Surratt trial, so the events of the assassination and his relationship with the Booths would be fresh in his mind. I believe John Ford is a solid, credible source and to be believed.

     Richard Booth moved to America in 1822 and resided with his son Junius. When Junius obtained the Harford County land for his farm in 1824 and moved a log house to the property, his father, Richard, remained with his son and lived at the Booth farm till shortly before his death in 1839. This leaves at least a 15 year time frame for Richard to help slaves to escape to Pennsylvania. The Booth farm was basically isolated and is located along a route that led to Pennsylvania. The farm was mostly wooded and fairly large, 177 acres by 1825 (see note) and would provide sufficient cover to shelter runaway slaves during their exodus to Pennsylvania.

     During the years Richard resided at the farm, it was extremely dangerous to assist escaped slaves—in fact it was criminal. Richard and Junius risked everything by helping them. Obviously, because of the danger in being discovered, they would not have told anyone what they were doing, unless they had absolute trust in whom they confided. Likewise, the slaves would not have revealed who their benefactors were for the same reason.

     By the time John Ford wrote this manuscript, Richard and Junius were no longer living; the Civil War had ended; the thirteenth amendment was in place, and more than twenty-five years had passed since they aided the runaways.

     This information adds to the history of the Booths and the Booth farm. For the general public who are only familiar with John Wilkes Booth, Ford’s statement shines a new light on the Booth family. The Booths were truly a house divided.

Note: I contacted Michael Pierce, an experienced Harford County historical research mapmaker, and he offered to help me map out the original Booth farm. With detailed research and using the latest mapping software, he determined that Junius obtained 159.25 acres in 1824. The following year he obtained a little over 17 acres—expanding the farm to about 177 acres, not the 150 acres that some authors claim. Mike is currently working on creating a map of the original farm that will be framed and displayed in Tudor Hall.

Share Your Love of History—Become a Volunteer

The historic Tudor Hall is a fascinating piece of Maryland and our nation’s history. Visitors to Tudor Hall explore the story of the Maryland Booths who left their mark on America forever. By volunteering with Spirits of Tudor Hall, you become a part of sharing this part of history. Spirits of Tudor Hall is the Junius B. Booth Society volunteer organization created to establishing a docent program at Tudor Hall and opening the house for public tours on a regular basis.  As a volunteer, it doesn’t require a lot of time—just a love of history, and a desire to share in keeping the story of Tudor Hall alive.

We need you. There’s a place for everyone who volunteers—whether you want to lead tours, greet visitors, or do odd jobs—we will gladly match you up with your interests and skills. From time to time there are also opportunities to help with special events at Tudor Hall.

 If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact

Jill Redding, Volunteer Coordinator

reddingj43@comcast.net 

410-274-8633

Join us on Facebook

Follow Spirits of Tudor Hall on http://www.facebook.com/SpiritsofTudorHall

Give the Gift of History

The Junius B. Booth Society and The Historical Society of Harford County are offering a unique opportunity. You can now own a piece of historic Tudor Hall─ the house that Junius Brutus Booth built for his family.

     The chimney at Tudor Hall was structurally unsound and it was removed so that a new chimney could be built. Vintage photographs reveal that the original chimney, which dated to the construction of the house which began in the fall of 1851, was repaired and modified at least once in the years after Samuel A. S. Kyle purchased Tudor Hall in 1878 from Mary Ann Holmes Booth, widow of Junius Brutus Booth, Sr. The exact date of these repairs and modifications is unknown at this time.

     As a result, the age of any of the bricks removed from the chimney in July 2009 is uncertain. All that can be said with certainty is that the bricks were part of the chimney at Tudor Hall for many years.  We are offering 400 of the bricks from the old chimney at Tudor Hall for sale to the public. Proceeds will go to support the Junius B. Booth Society and The Historical Society of Harford County, in part, to catalog and preserve materials related to the Booth family and Tudor Hall. The Junius B. Booth Society and The Historical Society of Harford County are nonprofit organizations which work to make the public more aware of the individual members of the Booth family and Tudor Hall.

     The brick for sale comes with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity and a pictorial history of the Tudor Hall chimney and makes a great gift. The cost of each brick is $40.00 (tax included) and $15.00 for shipping/handling. To purchase this unique piece of history, send a check for $55.00 made out to: The Historical Society of Harford County, Inc.

Mail to:

The Historical Society of Harford County

Tudor Hall Brick

143 N. Main Street

Bel Air, MD  21014

If you would like to pick it

up in person, call 410-838-5257

410-838-7691.